Whoops! Invasive Quagga Mussels Discovered In Lake Havasu - LA Times

[hatrack]

A destructive mussel found earlier this month in Lake Mead now has been discovered at intakes for the aqueduct system that carries water from the Colorado River to Southern California, raising fears that the invasive species could inflict costly damage to pipelines, aquatic life and waterways in California. Officials said Friday that bivalve mollusks collected by Metropolitan Water District divers Wednesday were determined to be quagga mussels, which are native to Eastern Europe and have spread across the United States along with their troublesome relative, the zebra mussel.

The infestation discovered Jan. 6 in Lake Mead near Las Vegas was the first in the West. The mussels found last week at an MWD plant at Lake Havasu and a pumping station two miles to the west were the first confirmed in California. A single quagga mussel was found Friday by California Department of Fish and Game divers about 14 miles away on the Colorado River. "We do not feel there is any danger or impact to the safety of drinking water supplies," MWD Chief Operating Officer Debra Man told a teleconference. "It is something we … want to ensure does not spread."

For years, wildlife and water officials in the West have been concerned about the possible arrival of the quagga mussel, which was discovered in the Great Lakes about 20 years ago and later spread to the Mississippi River.

The prolific quagga mussels cluster by the millions and feed voraciously on phytoplankton, creating organic waste products that eat up oxygen and release toxic byproducts. Colonies of the mussels clog water intakes and outfall pipes and leave fewer nutrients to support the food chain of fish. The mussels can spread by attaching themselves to boats or floating objects, or their larvae can drift downstream. Officials say there is no known way to eradicate the mussels, so they can only try to contain them to prevent costly problems or an unpleasant odor and taste in water supplies.

EDIT

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mussels22jan22,1,4774995.story

[mike_c]

1. it was only a matter of time....

Someone's bilge, most likely, or spat attached to an anchor line, the hull of a boat, or whatever. These guys have a planktonic larval stage that is only really suited for downstream dispersal, so moving from one basin to another nearly always involves human transport.

[hatrack]

2. And where quaggas lurk, can zebras be far behind?

Again, just a matter of time.

[mike_c]

3. no, and they're essentially interchangable anyway...

...so it doesn't really matter. They're closely related species in the same genus. They're ecologically identical.

[Submariner]

4. Another side effect - residual chlorine

To control the critters so they don't coat the inside of power plant cooling water pipes, chlorine is injected in hi-dose pulses, or more commonly, in a constant dosage feed so the spat do not get a chance to live to adhere to the pipe lining.

The problem is that the free or residual chlorine not absorbed by organics will enter the receiving waters and form carcinogenic chloromines that can kill us.

[Oerdin]

5. Agreed.

Someone went boating in an area where these mussels were present and the eggs were attached to the boat or were in the bilge or else were in ballast water. Not much to be done now other then try to control their numbers and encourage people to harvest them in order to control their numbers.

[XemaSab]

6. Free the Colorado!

:patriot:

[hatrack]

7. Is that you, Hayduke?

:evilgrin:

[XemaSab]

8. Maybe

:D