Forum: Quagga mussel invasive to Colorado River

The invasive quagga mussel, the size of your thumbnail, can become a massive colony that will wreck the ecosystem and clog up water pipes if left untreated, a member of the Hoover Dam Water Treatment Group for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said.

On Monday the Colorado River Citizens' Forum, a forum established by the U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, gathered to discuss and learn about the preventative measures that will be needed to prevent the infestation of the quagga mussel on the lower Colorado River.

Leonard Willet, the Bureau of Reclamation's quagga mussel coordinator for the lower Colorado River, said quagga mussel can be dealt with "the reactive approach"

"With the reactive approach you're going to live with the mussels, you're going to have that old maintenance problem and you're going to periodically have to do some chemical treatment. And that's what generally the bureau is doing right now," Willet said.

At the presentation, Willet displayed quagga mussels infestations plugging up water intakes.

"When you treat for mussels you have to be very diligent and on top because they can literally survive for 10 days," Willet said. "They do sense their environment and they can clam up to protect themselves."

Willet also pointed out that the quagga mussel infestation can be spread through river flow or through motor boats.

Here are prevention tips from the Arizona Game and Fish Web site:

-All equipment (dive gear, boats, trailers, motors, etc.) should be visually and tactically inspected for the presence of zebra mussels prior to and after use in any water body. Additionally, any vegetation attached to this equipment must be removed and left at the site of origin.

-Remove all sediment and gritty organic materials; these could actually be zebra mussel veligers (juveniles).

-Clean and scrub boat hulls, motors, anchors and trailers. Then hose equipment with hot (140 F) and/or high-pressure water. Bilges, live wells, and any other compartments that could hold water should be drained at the site of origin.

-Thoroughly clean all equipment in a saltwater bath (1/2 cup per gallon) or with warm tap water (104 F)


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Stephanie Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@yumasun.com or 539-6847.