Invasive species and pollution were the topics of discussion at a Owasco Lake Watershed presentation held at the Fingerlakes Mall Sunday.

For those in attendance, such as Sue and Mark Field, who own a house on Owasco Lake, the information could be crucial for preserving and improving the state of the lake.

"People need to be more aware about the small things they do that can affect the lake," Sue said. "Once you lose a lake it's hard to get it back."

Owasco Lake Watershed Inspector Jessica Miles said those small things could be anything a resident did to their lawn.

"If lawn clippings get into the water that can cause a problem," Miles said. "Clippings release a lot of phosphorus. People could use something like a composter instead, which is great for disposing of that kind of stuff. Also there's excess lawn fertilizer people use that can get into the water."

Other less obvious problems could be something as simple as feeding the ducks.

"Don't feed the ducks or other aquatic birds," Miles said. "Their feces has a lot of bacteria in it. A few years ago Emerson Park was closed because of a high amount of fecal coliform bacteria that came from the birds feces. While the bread fills them up, it has almost no nutritional value for them."

Other species-related problems come from zebra mussels which are an invasive species from Russia.

Mussels were introduced into Lake St. Claire in the late 1980s and have worked their way into Owasco Lake, drastically impacting the lake's ecosystem, Miles said.

"One female zebra mussel produces more than one-million eggs a year," Miles said. "Each zebra mussel can filter one gallon of water a day to filter out and eat the phytoplankton, which causes the water to become clearer over time."

For the full report read Monday's edition of The Citizen.