Strange Plant Strangling NJ Lake

Jackson Twp., New Jersey Oct. 10, 2005 (WPVI) -- It's not quite the Creature from the Black Lagoon, but an invasive plant is wreaking havoc on a lake in Ocean County.

It's taken over. It looks like in some areas you could almost walk across it. What is it that's practically eating Lake Enno? The beautiful body of water in Jackson Township. Used to be a goldmine for fishermen - but these days they all seem to be catching is this feathery underwater foliage that's practically choking the lake. John Gaskill/JACKSON TWP., NEW JERSEY: "You can't even fish - any top water lures or anything like that - everything just gets tangled up in the milfoil and it's impossible to fish." Officials are not exactly sure what this stuff is, but they believe it's a type of "milfoil" - a dense aquatic plant that can be awfully difficult to get rid of.

With little rain and high temperatures this summer the invasive plant flourished. It's slowed the lake's flow, raising concerns about mosquitoes breeding in stagnant water and it's ruined recreation for fishermen and boaters. Mayor Michael Broderick/D-JACKSON TWP., NEW JERSEY: "You just have a motor that's tied up in the growth and you cant even move through it. And paddling through it is a never-ending challenge." To address the problem, the municipal engineer says the lake's water level will be lowered to freeze out the plants over the winter. Later a private company could either apply herbicides or harvest the milfoil. Dan Burke MUNICIPAL ENGINEER: "They can actually cut off the plant growth between the surface and the bottom or they can atually till up the root structure on the bottom." If all else fails Enno Lake could eventually be dredged - but that's an expensive job that could take years.

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