Plant alert for Chautauqua Lake

Officials in Chautauqua County are alarmed about an invasive species of plant that could soon be choking Chautauqua Lake.

County Executive Greg Edwards has notified the New York State Department of Conservation a water chestnut plant known as Trapa natans has been been found growing at the mouth of Ball Creek, close to the Veterans Memorial Bridge in North Harmony.

Another full grown plant was found near Dutch Hollow Creek.

The State DEC and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been contacted, but first the county must locate the plants.

The species could spread rapidly, creating problems for boaters and other people who use the lake.