ITHACA — Officials say invasive hyrdilla has been spotted once again in Cayuga Lake, and they say the problem could be more widespread than previously thought.

Samples of aquatic plants taken from around Wells College in Aurora were confirmed to be hydrilla, and some hydrilla also washed up on the shore days later. Hydrilla was first discovered in the southern end of Cayuga Lake in 2011, and treatments to eradicate it are ongoing.

Hydrilla task force manager James Balyszak says this could be a sign of a bigger problem.

“Most of our anticipated finds we were expecting to see down here at the southern end, but this is a major jump,” he said. “We’re looking at dozens and dozens of miles up the lake at an entirely new location, and very far removed from the southern end of the lake here, so it’s a bit of a surprise that it might have made it all the way up there.”

Balyszak says they’re in the first stages of planning their response to the new findings, but they want all eyes on the water.

“Right now it is certainly a very new infestation and new discovery, so we’re distributing notifications and getting as many people as possible aware of the issue, and then we’re looking in the coming weeks to start bringing groups and organizations together so we know where our resources are,” he said.

Balyszak and Cornell Cooperative Extension say they’ll need to take more samples from around the new area before deciding what to do.