# Invasive Mussels Found in Lake Powell



## Dave Frank (Oct 14, 2003)

Zebra Mussels do suck. They invaded the fingerlakes in New york back in the late 80's. They do make the water nice and clear, as they eat lots of algae, but they clog up water intakes and leave there shells behind like a collection of razor blades. If these things end up in high numbers on beaches, I bet we can expect a lot of damaged rubber.


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## richp (Feb 27, 2005)

Hi Dave,

You are very much on target with the sharp edge thing. I have an actual quagga mussel here on my desk right now from a lake in Wisconsin, and it is small and very sharp-edged. 

While no-one knows if and how they will infest the river in the Grand Canyon, should the rocks there get coated the way they were in the lake I saw, we all better be taking lots of patch material when we go down the Grand.

Have a good one.

Rich Phillips
VP, GCBPA


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## acetomato (May 6, 2006)

*WARNING: Invasive Muscles Found in Ron Burgundy's Drytop!*

Gotta give 'em two tickets to the gun show. Oh yeeaah!










Sorry. It _couldn't_ be avoided.


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## cstork (Oct 13, 2003)

Are the muscles in any other white water river? How much of a problem is it there?


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## richp (Feb 27, 2005)

Hi Cstork,

Good question. Most of the research and descriptive material seems to deal with lakes and slower-moving streams in the Midwest.

However, the NPS has put out some information and management guidance in a document called, "Quagga/Zebra Mussel Infestation Prevention and Response Planning Guide" in May, 2007. It can be found at:


http://www.nature.nps.gov/water/quagga/QuaggaPlanningGuide_ext.pdf

In one relevant part, it says, "If zebra or quagga mussels were to infest additional western lakes, reservoirs, or rivers, they could:

• disrupt aquatic ecosystems and native species
• encrust submerged cultural resources
• impact recreational activities, including sport fishing
• foul boats, boat engines, docks, ramps and other marine facilities
• clog raw water intake pipes, increasing maintenance costs
• litter beaches with sharp shells that can smell as the mussels decompose."

In another section, it says, "The probability that quagga mussels will become established in a river or stream reach depends upon suspended inorganic sediment, the existence of low velocity habitats and whether or not there is an upstream lake or reservoir. Lack of low velocity habitat and high sediment loads reduce the likelihood the quagga mussels will become established or persist in a river reach. Upstream reservoirs or lakes may increase the probability that mussels will be introduced to the receiving stream and can serve as a continual source of veliger larvae that may maintain populations that would otherwise not be viable. In general, the risk of infestation is lower in a river or stream than in a lake or reservoir. However, zebra mussels have demonstrated the capability to proliferate in the large slow flowing rivers of the Midwest. It is possible that quagga mussels may be able persist in large rivers under similar conditions."

Looks like we're in for an interesting time with this one.

Rich Phillips
VP, GCPBA

Join Grand Canyon Private Boaters Association at http://www.gcpba.org
Click on "Join", and support active, ongoing private boater
representation on Grand Canyon issues. And follow GC issues on
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gcpba/messages

 
Looks lik


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## sun_shine (Jul 11, 2005)

*learn more*

http://www.100thmeridian.org/


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## b dash rian (Mar 30, 2007)

shopping cart left in zebra mussel infested water for a few months. 
zebra mussels are a HUGE pain in the ass here on the east coast. Lakes get clogged with them, and they clog up drain pipes super fast. they are ussually not in faster streams.


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## basil (Nov 20, 2005)

Yea, this sucks. But, lets not get carried away. 

I think kayakers/rafters are not very likely to spread this for a variety of reasons. Give the hard time to boaters that keep their power boats/house boats in the water for weeks and then move them to another reservoir.


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## b dash rian (Mar 30, 2007)

basil said:


> Yea, this sucks. But, lets not get carried away.
> 
> I think kayakers/rafters are not very likely to spread this for a variety of reasons. Give the hard time to boaters that keep their power boats/house boats in the water for weeks and then move them to another reservoir.



they key to that is that they dont take care of their boats when moving them. The Bilges must be emptied and allowed to dry for at least 48 hours, and a simple visual inspection before putting in at another body of water. Its so simple, yet so many people dont do it.


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## richp (Feb 27, 2005)

Good follow-up information. The picture of that grocery cart agrees with what I saw earlier this year on a lake up in Wisconsin -- total coverage of submerged objects it quite possible.

Very likely the infestation in Powell is from some fisherman bringing a contaminated boat in from Lake Mead or Havasu, or some other Western body of water that is already infested. 

With regard to the Grand directly, the commercial GC operators who end their trips at South Cove on Lake Mead have been taking strict decontamination procedures, since their boats often turn around from Mead and go to Lees Ferry in a day or two. 

However, one might argue that the battle appears to already have been lost for Lake Powell. And given the proximity of these postive tests to the dam, the probability of them going down into the Grand is evident, although of unknown timeframe and final outcome. Hopefully they won't like the rapids as noted in the last post, but the Grand has lots of slow-moving stretches where they could prosper.

FWIW.

Rich Phillips
VP, GCPBA


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## benpetri (Jul 2, 2004)

Well Shit! Now that they've got zebra mucles in that pond I guess the whole thing is pretty much useless. So that means they're gunna have to drain it now, right?


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## b dash rian (Mar 30, 2007)

benpetri said:


> Well Shit! Now that they've got zebra mucles in that pond I guess the whole thing is pretty much useless. So that means they're gunna have to drain it now, right?


ok Hayduke...


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## dq (Apr 25, 2005)

*Lake Powell is Invasive*

:?: isn't it? 

The invasive mussels wouldn't be there if the invasive reservoir wasn't there.


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## b dash rian (Mar 30, 2007)

the problem is that even drained, there is going to be a lot of pooling, due to the silt and what not thats in the lake, making plenty of places for mussels to live. Believe me, i would mind seeing the reservoir and tourists gone myself, but draining it wont get rid of the mussels, IMO


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