DNR: Eurasian Watermilfoil Found In McCormack Lake In St. Louis Co.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The DNR announced Thursday that Eurasian watermilfoil is growing in McCormack Lake in St. Louis County.

McCormack Lake is located near Chisholm, Minn., and DNR specialists found the invasive plant growing in 36 locations around the lake.

"The invasive aquatic plant is wide spread in the lake," said DNR Invasive Species Specialist Richard Rezanka. "Since we are already into the late summer months when herbicides tend to be less effective, no treatments of Eurasian watermilfoil by the DNR are currently planned."

A DNR botanist made the initial discovery, and it was later confirmed in inspections by aquatic biologists.

Boaters who use the lake are reminded to be "extra thorough" when looking for and removing the plant from watercraft, the DNR said. It is against the law to transport invasive species.

Eurasian watermilfoil has now been found growing – forming dense mats of vegetation and crowding out other species – in more than 260 lakes.