Field Station, residents worried about Otsego

The discovery also means the zebra mussel, which already infests many of the state's waters, is closer than ever and increases the chances it will be accidently introduced to Otsego Lake - most likely by recreational boaters travelling between the local lakes.

"This non-native, invasive species could inflict considerable economic and environmental harm unless contained," said Dr. Tom Horvath, an internationally known zebra mussel expert, who joined the staff at SUNY Oneonta's Biological Field Station on Otsego Lake last year.

"I think this bodes ill," said Biological Field Station Director Dr. Willard Harman, "because with zebra mussels four miles away we have to be ever more vigilant. I think there needs to be immediate action taken. I hope we will be pro-active."

Zebra mussels can be carried to a downstream body of water and infest it, added Horvath. The Susquehanna River, which has been free of this destructive exotic, is connected to Canadarago Lake by Oaks Creek. "Now, zebra mussels have direct access along the river which passes through Binghamton, N.Y. and both Wilkes Barre and Harrisburg, Pa., and into Maryland," he said.

Horvath said that almost two weeks ago a lakeside resident of Canadarago Lake called the field station to report what they believed to be a zebra mussel. Horvath verified it was a zebra mussel, but found no more.

Last week field station staff members took plankton samples in Canadarago Lake and found larval forms of the bivalve mollusk in the water.

The presence of the larva, or veligers, is an indication that the population is breeding in the lake, Horvath said.

The field station dive team returned to the lake and made an intensive search of the lake bottom and found what Horvath termed a "decent sized population" that was spread throughout the lake.

"My guess is they have been there at least since last year," he said. "There's a chance they were in there in 2000."

According to Horvath, it is typical for the zebra mussel to go unnoticed when they initially enter a lake and that it is only after they have become established and their numbers increase that they are found.

"You usually don't run across them until there is a substantial foothold in a lake," he said.

Residents and recreational users of Canadarago Lake will likely begin to notice the zebra mussels in the lake next year, the researcher commented.

Horvath said there is a small population of zebra mussels in the Eaton Brook Reservoir at the headwaters of the Chenango River which also connects to the Susquehanna River. The mussel has been unable to make the jump from the reservoir to the river because of the turbulence in the connecting waterway. Both Horvath and field station director Dr. Willard Harman said that the larval stage of the mussel does not do well in turbulent conditions and has probably been the reason it has not spread further by now.

That turbulent condition does not exist at the outlet of Canadarago Lake and, in fact, Oakes Creek has recently been described as moving too slowly to drain the lake effectively.

There is no known physical barrier that could be placed at the outlet of the lake the would prevent veligers from heading downstream. Horvath said it is pretty much accepted that it will get into Oakes Creek, but what happends then is still a question.

"In our minds it was only a matter of time before it made its way to the river basin," said Susan O'Bleski, Director of Communications for the Susquehanna River Basin Commission located in Harrisburg, Pa.

She said the commission's role will be primarily informational and that they are now notifying water users along the river that they should be on the lookout for the mussel in the future.

Not only does the zebra mussel threaten the Susquehanna, it also gives rise to "extreme concern" about Otsego Lake which has been free of the troublesome exotic.

"This means the threat is at our doorstep," said Otsego Lake Watershed Manager Win McIntyre. "We're pretty worried. We haven't any means of protecting the lake."

Horvath said the field station watches for the zebra mussel in its routine monitoring program, but they have not mounted an extensive search. He said he believes that with the number of people from the field station who are regularly "in the water" it would quickly be spotted if it took up residence in Otsego Lake. There is, however, an increased state of alert at the field station.

One of the biggest economic impacts zebra mussels have is to clog pipes such as water intakes. Not only is the water intake of the Village of Cooperstown at risk, but so are the estimated 100 plus homes that draw their water directly from the lake. The cost of cleaning intakes could be considerable. An estimated $5 billion annually is spent on control and removal of zebra mussels in the Great Lakes region.

There is no specific estimate of the potential cost to the village and lakeside residents, but according to Horvath, small municipalities can typically spend as much as $20,000 annually "just to live with the zebra mussel."

Zebra mussels filter the water and those lakes that are infested tend to be clear. "However," said Horvath, "the entire lake's food chain can be disrupted because these mussels filter out algae which other animals feed upon." This disruption, he added, impacts right to the top of the food chain which includes game fish.

Horvath and Harman said it now more important than ever for boaters to take some simple precautions to try and keep from spreading the mussel, particularly into Otsego Lake.

"We hope to let people know there are some preventative measure that they can take," Horvath said

It is people who are moving it about, added Harman and boat washing can reduce that considerably. The mussel easily attaches itself to lake weeds and plants which can be caught on the boat trailer or propellor and introduced to another lake the next time the boat is launched. But what is of equal concern to Harman is the veliger stage when the mussell is microscopic and can exist in bilge water or bait buckets. He suggests that the easiest and cheapest remedy is to wash the boat with salt water. Boaters can also drain or remove all water and let the boat dry out totally in the full sun.

The field station is taking the precautions very seriously as indicated by the fact that the diving equipment used by the team in Canadarago Lake last week is still in a week-long quarantine to prevent the unintentional spread of the mollusk, Horvath said.

Harman has for years spoken out in favor of one or more boat washing facilities around the lake to prevent the introduction not only of the zebra mussell, but other invasive, non-native species also.

"There is a tremendous amount of education needed," McIntyre said. "People need to be aware of what they can do personally."