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Tiny Eurasian mussel now threatening mighty Hoover Dam

Posted by: Maven on December 10, 2009 at 11:02 pm

Hoover Dam & Power LinesFrom the New York Times:

“The Bureau of Reclamation wants to use an experimental biological pesticide to control invasive mussels that are interfering with dam and hydropower operations that supply electricity and drinking water to millions of people across the Southwest.

The problem is quagga mussels, natives of Europe and Asia discovered in the Colorado River watershed in early 2007. The organisms, which grow to about 1.5 inches, are clogging water lines that are used to cool the 17 massive hydropower turbines at Hoover Dam and have already forced dam operators to temporarily shut down the power plant that supplies electricity to 1.6 million people in southern Nevada, Arizona and California.

The mussels have caused similar problems at the downstream Davis Dam in Lake Mohave and Parker Dam in Lake Havasu, both of which provide electricity for thousands of people in Arizona and California. The mussels have also threatened to clog water intake lines in Lake Mead operated by the Southern Nevada Water System that supply water to more than 2 million people in the Las Vegas area.

“We’re very concerned,” said Fred Nibling, a Reclamation biologist in Denver who is helping lead agency efforts to combat the mussel invasion. … “

Read more from the New York Times by clicking here.

December 10, 2009 · Filed Under Uncategorized

Comments

One Response to “Tiny Eurasian mussel now threatening mighty Hoover Dam”

  1. WaterSource/WaterBank on December 11th, 2009 6:00 am

    Failure to investigation/verify leads to another

    UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE …

    The Bureau, California & the SNWA were offered a fresh water Source solution to keep Lake Mead reasonably FULL and generating the 2000 megawatts of RENEWABLE ENERGY. The new non-tributary million acre feet could have solved many water shortage dilemmas in the region and helped to restore the Colorado River Delta and the Salton Sea.

    Utilization of that same Source could very solve the Quagga Mussel invasion, but will they investigate ?

    WaterSource/WaterBank
    waterrdw@yahoo.com Retired Water Rights Analyst

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