Ohio’s newly enacted state budget includes $330,350 to help reduce an invasive plant that authorities say jeopardizes recreational activities at Mosquito Lake and threatens the local water supply.

The money will help the City of Cortland treat hydrilla at Mosquito Creek Lake State Park, safeguarding Warren City’s drinking water.

With more than one million people visiting the lake yearly, the Trumbull County Tourism Bureau sounded the alarm last winter that the $33 million annual economic impact could be in jeopardy because of the fast-growing aquatic plant.

The invasive aquatic species was introduced in the United States in Florida during the late 1950s and first caught the attention of officials from around the county in 2021.

Hydrilla reduces the water flow in waterways it infests and impacts those who use the lake for boating or fishing.

The Trumbull County Commissioners have partnered with the cities of Cortland and Warren and several environmental agencies to provide stop-gap funding over the next 7 to 10 years to curtail the spread.

The money will be put towards three treatments using a chemical known as fluridone, which will bleach and slowly eradicate hydrilla in the lake.

Trumbull County Commissioner Dennis Malloy says that this year, they'll be treating 300 acres to stop the spreading of hydrilla before it takes over the lake or spreads to larger bodies of water like Lake Erie.