Prevention Must Be Our Shared Watchword

Aquatic invasive species (AIS) -- and most notably zebra mussels -- pose a compelling threat with irreversible consequences to national, regional and, yes, Candlewood Lake’s waters. While our Lake is not yet infested, this is no reason to rest on our laurels and believe the unthinkable will not occur here as it has in hundreds of water bodies across the nation and others much too close to home. Think the Housatonic River, and Lakes Lillinonah, Zoar, and Housatonic where zebra mussel populations have been exploding. And, to date, there is no cure for infected open waters once these mussel marauders are allowed to enter and colonize. At that point it is game over and our defensive efforts must shift from prevention to attempted containment of this invasive species’ spread – a resource-intensive, frustrating and extremely expensive proposition, perhaps 10 or even 20 times the cost of preventing their entry.

In the interim, our recreational paradise and regional economic underpinnings will be forever compromised: our beaches and docks will become cluttered with razor-sharp shells, the rotting carcasses emitting unacceptable stench; our boats and their engines will serve to host debilitating mussel clusters; our Lake fishery and ecosystem will be upended; First Light’s pipes and pumps will become clogged risking its energy-producing and water-level control capabilities; and the values of our real estate and local businesses will suffer in spades. That is, if we remain passive and reliant on the false hope that ‘it won’t happen here.’

Complacency has unrelenting and unacceptable consequences. Accordingly and without question, prevention of entry must be priority #1. With infected waters nearby, dangerous local boater habits of lake-hopping, scores of perimeter entry points, and the attraction of thousands of boaters and fishermen from across the northeast, Candlewood Lake is particularly vulnerable as both the recipient and potential exporter of these stealth invaders. With our boating season now in full swing, it’s essential that each of us re-sensitizes ourselves to this threat, critically reassesses our family’s recreational habits, and adjusts our Lake behavior to minimize the associated risks of inadvertently transporting zebra mussels and other invasive invaders on our watercraft and associated gear – forever compromising Candlewood in the process.

The CLA’s website (candlewoodlakeauthority.org) is a great place to learn more about these threats and the importance of complying with the approved Clean-Drain-Dry protocol for preventing invasive entry. There’s no time like the present to confront complacency and act with Candlewood Lake’s, the region’s, and our collective long-term interests at heart. Towards this end, Governor Malloy has designated July 15-16 as ‘Clean-Drain-Dry Weekend,’ underscoring the threat while launching a State-wide awareness campaign to urge all recreational users of the State’s waters to take extra precautions and stop invasive hitchhikers in their tracks. Please ensure your family and guests do their part to help ‘prevent the unthinkable.’