Invasive mussel found in local canals By BRIANNA LUSK, Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 19, 2008 10:46 PM PST
It was only a matter of time before the Imperial Irrigation District had to contend with the effects of a 2-inch shelled invertebrate’s power.
Singularly, the quagga mussel could be harmless but for the district’s vast channels of water, it’s an area ripe for reproduction.
The fear was realized this week as evidence of the invader mussel was found.
“They’re really difficult to eradicate,” said Carlos Villalón, assistant Water Department manager. “You just live with them and develop a maintenance program to minimize their impact.”
The mussel was discovered in one of the settling basins at the Imperial Dam on Thursday. Villalón said DNA testing is pending but the specimen is estimated to be about 4 months old.
Villalón said there was hope that it would be discovered at the larvae stage, however, samples along six points have never revealed quagga existence.
“They tend to follow the current and follow the flow (of water). It was just a matter of time before we have to deal with them on an ongoing basis,” Villalón said.
IID is not alone in having to deal with the spread of quagga mussels, as the Metropolitan Water District has appropriated more than $7 million to mitigate the spread of the mussel.
Among some of the methods used by MWD, spokesman Bob Muir said has been system-wide shutdowns along the entire length of aqueducts discovered to have been invaded by the mussels.
MWD has also allocated funds for the design and construction of chlorination facilities at some reservoirs and isolation barriers along the Colorado River Aqueduct.
Villalón said the IID has been monitoring the river and caught the problem at a very early stage.
Chemically treating the district’s water is not a viable option, he said, so other methods of mechanical or organic maintenance, like the injection of a mussel predator, are being researched.
The district will work with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation on viable methods of control if the infestation spreads.
In addition to the Bureau of Reclamation, IID officials will also work with local city and county officials on how to monitor the mussel’s impact on municipal water pumping systems.
The mussel was brought in two decades ago from the waterways of the Ukraine and has severely impacted the water infrastructure in the Great Lakes along with the similar zebra mussels.
Billions of dollars of damage from clogging pipes, water pumps and other water systems on the Atlantic Coast has been reported.
The discovery of the mussel is new to the area, Villalón said, and preventing harm to water quality and the system deliveries are crucial.
The Valley’s warm waters may be a detriment, however, as the mussels thrive in hotter climates.
“There’s not much that can be done but to try and minimize the effects on the system,” Villalón said.
" How does this effect us? I am lost on this article please advise "
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thugrus wrote on Feb 20, 2008 3:15 PM: