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Water Chestnut
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• Discovered in Oneida Lake in 1999
• Forms thick mats at the water’s surface
• Produces a sharp nutlet
Water chestnut, an aggressive aquatic plant native to Europe and Asia, was introduced to New York State in the late 1800s. An established population of this plant was first observed in western Oneida Lake in a bay to the west of Interstate 81 near Brewerton, NY in 1999. The infestation was harvested mechanically from 2000-2002, but has also been controlled chemically with herbicide (2004 and 2005). Localized infestations, primarily in the western half of the lake, have been effectively controlled as of 2006 through private citizen hand- pulling efforts. However, large infestations of water chestnut remain uncontrolled in the Oneida, Seneca, and Oswego River systems.
Water chestnut prefers slow-moving, muddy areas and may grow as long as 16 feet from the lake bottom to the water’s surface. Its toothed, triangular leaves form rosettes at the water’s surface making it very easy to identify. Plants produce sharp nutlets each year that sink to the lake’s bottom making wading hazardous. In densely infested areas, water chestnut degrades habitat for aquatic life by shading waters beneath its canopy, diminishing dissolved oxygen levels in surrounding waters, and by impeding water flow.
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