On Tuesday, September 7, a team of volunteers from Cedar Lake partnered with Blue Water Science to conduct a visual inspection of the lake to search for additional zebra mussels.
This search was conducted across 14 tracts of the shoreline in approximately 1’-3’ deep water with Blue Water Science doing some areas using scuba gear in slightly deeper water. The search yielded the discovery of 12 zebra mussels with varying age ranges indicating that they have been present and reproducing for at least two years. During the inspection, Blue Water Science also collected water samples to be sent to a third-party lab for additional testing. The primary purpose of these lab tests will be to determine a value for the zebra mussel suitability index. This index is a measurement to help determine how suitable Cedar Lake is for zebra mussels – not every lake provides a good home for zebra mussels to thrive, and we hope this is the case for Cedar Lake.
The discovery of zebra mussels stretching across multiple locations in the lake means that eradication is not possible. Blue Water Science will be using the results of those tests to help provide us with options for management and/or mitigation. We were very impressed with their approach and expertise during the inspection and are encouraged
that they will be able to provide us with practical and informed options as we learn more about the suitability of our lake as zebra mussel habitat.
If you would like to hear more on this topic, we will be discussing it at the Annual Meeting on Saturday, September 18. However, we do not expect any additional information by that date. We will provide additional updates to the membership through follow-up communications, as we learn more from our tests and the experts.
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