At Central Maine’s Cobbossee Lake, local groups fight off infestation of invasive aquatic plants

CENTRAL MAINE • August 8, 2026

Cobbossee Lake is the ideal picture of summertime lake life in Maine — lake houses dot the waterfront, pontoon boats coast around with families on board and loon calls echo from shore to shore. But under the surface of the water, a battle is ongoing. The Cobbosseecontee Lake Association and Watershed Friends have been fighting to control and remove an aquatic invasive species, Eurasian watermilfoil, since it was first discovered in the lake in 2018. While this year marks the first year the central Maine lake is not part of the state DEP’s “Rapid Response” program, in which herbicides are applied to try to eradicate the plant completely, Eurasian watermilfoil has continued to spread in the lake.