Spring Lake located in Connecticut is weed and algae free. At first residents didn’t notice, but when they did, it caused lots of concern. Spring Lake was missing algae, weeds, water lilies, and other aquatic plants that are an important part of the ecosystem.
This small body of water is surrounded by 30 private homes and is home to a variety of fish, birds and other animals. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station’s Invasive Aquatic Plant program determined that a chemical had nearly eradicated all the plant life in the lake. It took biological limnologist Mark June-Wells nearly an hour to find a single plant.
Fish were not harmed by the herbicide, but amphibians and snails may have been. A swan that resides on the lake eggs did not hatch this year, although it has not been determined it was due to the chemicals. The lily pads and blooms are not likely to return. Other plants may return said June-Wells, but non-native species will likely dominate over native species.