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Report: Invasive mussels costly to Tahoe economy

Posted by: Maven on June 25, 2009 at 7:57 am

From the Silicon Valley Mercury News:

Lake Tahoe’s economy could lose millions in taxes and tourism revenue if invasive mussels become established in the lake’s famed blue waters, according to a new report. The report prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimated that the Tahoe economy could suffer an annual loss of $22 million because of lost tourism, declining property values and maintenance costs associated with the mollusks, according to a Reno Gazette-Journal story published Wednesday.

“This is just so frightening,” said Allen Biaggi, director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and chairman of Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s policy board. The agency was scheduled to discuss the report’s findings this week.

Quagga mussels first turned up in Lake Mead in early 2007 and have spread to other waters in southern Nevada and California. Zebra mussels were discovered in a reservoir about 250 miles from Tahoe in January 2008.

The mussels have wildlife officials around the country on alert because once they become entrenched, they multiple quickly and there’s no way to get rid of them.

Read more from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.

June 25, 2009 · Filed Under Lake Tahoe, the Sierras & foothills

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