Politics & Government

5 Things You Need to Know About Water Chestnuts

These could wreak havoc on Lake Hopatcong.

They can ruin Lake Hopatcong. Or they can be stopped.

Water chestnuts are a fast-spreading invasive plant that limits boating and fishing and could wreak havoc on the lake's ecosystem. Here are 5 Things You Need to Know About Water Chestnuts, courtsey of the Lake Hopatcong Commission PDF you can find on the right. Or you could click here to download it from the commission's site.

  1. You Need to Know They Move Quick: Spread by seed, each new water chestnut plant can divide into 10 to 15 rosettes in the summer. These rosettes often break apart and either drift or are carried to new locations.
  2. You Need to Know What They Look Like: They've got stems up to 16 feet long with either triangular-shaped surface leaves or feathery, submersed leaves up to 6 inches long. A water chestnut's frut is about an inch-wide nut with four barbs.
  3. You Need to Know Why They End Up in Lake Hopatcong: Because about a third of the lake's 2,600 acres is suitable for its growth.
  4. You Need to Know Who You're Gonna Call: Not Ghostbusters, but take a few close-up pictures and call the Lake Hopatcong Commission at (973) 601-1070 if you see one.
  5. You Need to Know Who's Getting Rid of Them: , whose volunteers comb the lake for water chestnuts.

Find out what's happening in Hopatcong-Spartawith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here