Orleans, IA (Northwestiowanow.com) — The highly invasive Eurasian watermilfoil has been confirmed in West Lake Okoboji. DNR Fisheries Biologist Andrew Carlson says it appears to have been an isolated population growing in the canal system of Wahpeton. He says the DNR and Iowa Lakeside Laboratory have already treated the infestation and have not found it elsewhere in the Iowa Great Lakes.

Carlson asks boaters going through the canal to be extra careful not to drag the plant into the rest of the lake and asks the public to contact his office at the Fish Hatchery in Orleans immediately if they find other pockets. Eurasian watermilfoil periodically has shown up in Dickinson County and so far, quick treatment has prevented it from taking over. The leaves resemble feathers and the plants are green, brown, or pink. Andrew Carlson will give us more details next Thursday during his regular, monthly show on News radio KICD