Water Chestnut Removal at Lake Taghkanic

Recently, staff from the NYS DEC discovered a small infestation of the invasive water chestnut at Lake Taghkanic and was able to remove the plants soon after discovery. European Water Chestnut, if left alone, would exponentially grow and take over the shallow water and shorelines of Lake Taghkanic. It was imperative that the Water Chestnut be removed as each “pad” or rosette can produce multiple seed pods, or sometimes known as devil heads which would lead to the exponential growth. It’s worth noting that the European Water Chestnut, is not the same as the Water Chestnut you eat or can purchase at the store.

The DEC staff along with a team from CapMo Prism (CapMo PRISM, short for Capital/Mohawk Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management, was formed to help prevent or minimize the harm caused by invasive species on New York’s environment.),  was able to organize a team and completely remove any viable rosette of the European Water Chestnut. According to the DEC, the team pulled out around 600 pounds of the invasive plant.

Early detection is key with invasive species, and this was an amazing job done by the DEC and CapMo as the introduction of the European Water Chestnut would completely change the entire lake making fishing and recreational use much more challenging. 

Water Chestnuts most likely made their way into Lake Taghkanic from an unaware boater. The seeds most likely were stuck on a boat or trailer and was deposited into the water while placing the boat into the water. It’s very important to inspect your boat and trailer when you leave a water way and prior to entering another waterway and discard any plants or slimy looking muck.

Water Chestnut Seed

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This is a developed seed of the Water Chestnut, also known as a devils head. In places of infestations, these seed pods little the shorelines and can puncture your shoes if you step on them.

Last Updated on July 22, 2020 by Fish HV Contributors