Zebra mussels have spread to a lake in Meeker County in central Minnesota.

The Department of Natural Resources says it has confirmed zebra mussels in Lake Stella, which is located near Darwin on Highway 12.

A property owner brought a suspected zebra mussel into the DNR’s Hutchinson office last month, saying it was attached to a native mussel in Lake Stella.

Officials confirmed it was an adult zebra mussel. A second zebra mussel was later reported and confirmed in a different part of the lake.

Because of those findings, Lake Stella will be designated as infested. Lake Washington – immediately downstream from Lake Stella – also will be designated, although no zebra mussels have been found there.

It apparently is the first discovery of the invasive pest in a Meeker County lake.