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Mussel pain at San Justo; Unbelievable population explosion’ of the species as officials prepare to treat reservoir with potash

Posted by: Maven on July 11, 2009 at 10:01 am

From the Weekend Pinnacle:

With invasive zebra mussels “flourishing” in the closed-to-the-public San Justo Reservoir, officials are awaiting federal approval to begin an eradication program that, if not started by this fall, would keep the popular fishing and boating spot closed for another year.

The United States Bureau of Reclamation, the San Benito County Water District and the California Department of Fish and Game propose to get ride of the fingernail-sized freshwater mussel by treating the reservoir with potash and chlorine after its yearly water deliveries draw down the basin, located off Union Road.

Water officials around the state are monitoring the San Justo infestation, the only one of its kind in the state, because allowing zebra mussels into the state’s waterways could be devastating.

“We’re terribly concerned about their spread,” said Dana Michaels, spokeswoman for the state Department of Fish and Game. “They can be disastrous if they get throughout the water system and they produce toxins that kill local, native organisms. They reproduce massively and fast so if they get into water pipe systems for drinking water or irrigation, they can clog them up quickly.”

Read more from the Weekend Pinnacle by clicking here.

July 11, 2009 · Filed Under Invasive Plants & Species

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