The spread of invasive zebra mussels has been confirmed in Lake Lavon, according to a Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) release yesterday.
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The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) says Lake Lavon joins a list of five lakes in Texas with the presence of live zebra mussels or veligers, their larvae, which includes: Lake Texoma, Ray Roberts, Lewisville, Bridgeport, Belton, and now Lavon.
Zebra mussels were first detected in Lake Texoma in 2006 and in 2009 became infested which prompted the closure of the Texoma-Lavon pipeline by the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) which supplies 1.6 million North Texans with water. Although the zebra mussels are only about the size of a dime, they attach to hard surfaces within the pipes and motors and restrict the flow of water and jam motors.
The NTMWD is combating the problem by building a new $300 million 8-foot-wide pipeline from Lake Texoma to Lavon which it completed in October of 2013. The pipeline is expected to go online in May after axillary facilities are built at the NTMWD Wylie location to treat and mix the water from Texoma, according to NTMWD spokesperson Denise Hickey.
The presence of the the zebra mussel in Lake Lavon doesn't indicate an infestation, according to Hickey. “The TPWD will continue monitoring the zebra mussels and watch to see if those counts increase or if they change at all,” said Hickey.
An infestation could lead to increased maintenance and operating cost because the pipes and equipment would need to be serviced to remove the buildup of zebra mussels which can continue to attach to each other and effectively clog any size pipeline.
Any increase in maintenance and operating costs will need to be determined after the pipeline goes online, according to Hickey. Any additional fees will be passed on to NTMWD member cities who will determine how the rate is passed on to their water customers.
The USGS tests also detected zebra mussel DNA in lakes Grapevine, Fork, and Tawakoni. “This is the first detection of zebra mussel DNA in lakes Fork and Tawakoni. However, three consecutive surveys have detected zebra mussel DNA in Lake Grapevine making it highly suspect,” according to the release.
Dr. Robert McMahon, Professor Emeritus of Biology at the University of Texas at Arlington, says while this news is of concern, he suspects Lake Fork cannot sustain a zebra mussel population because of low levels of calcium, which the mussels use to construct their shells. He believes Lake Tawakoni is likely more susceptible.
The finding of zebra mussel DNA in a lake does not necessarily mean it is infested, but it may indicate boaters are inadvertently moving zebra mussels or zebra mussel DNA from lake to lake.
Boats are believed to be one of the main ways zebra mussels move from one lake to another. The only way for boaters to ensure they’re not transporting zebra mussels is to always clean, drain and completely dry boats, trailers, and gear after leaving a water body.
Recent legislature has also made it a Class C misdemeanor, on first offense, to possess or transport zebra mussels in 17 northeast Texas counties including Kaufman County.
Zebra mussels were first detected in Lake Texoma in 2006 and in 2009 became infested which prompted the closure of the Texoma-Lavon pipeline by the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) which supplies 1.6 million North Texans with water. Although the zebra mussels are only about the size of a dime, they attach to hard surfaces within the pipes and motors and restrict the flow of water and jam motors.
The NTMWD is combating the problem by building a new $300 million 8-foot-wide pipeline from Lake Texoma to Lavon which it completed in October of 2013. The pipeline is expected to go online in May after axillary facilities are built at the NTMWD Wylie location to treat and mix the water from Texoma, according to NTMWD spokesperson Denise Hickey.
The presence of the the zebra mussel in Lake Lavon doesn't indicate an infestation, according to Hickey. “The TPWD will continue monitoring the zebra mussels and watch to see if those counts increase or if they change at all,” said Hickey.
An infestation could lead to increased maintenance and operating cost because the pipes and equipment would need to be serviced to remove the buildup of zebra mussels which can continue to attach to each other and effectively clog any size pipeline.
Any increase in maintenance and operating costs will need to be determined after the pipeline goes online, according to Hickey. Any additional fees will be passed on to NTMWD member cities who will determine how the rate is passed on to their water customers.
The USGS tests also detected zebra mussel DNA in lakes Grapevine, Fork, and Tawakoni. “This is the first detection of zebra mussel DNA in lakes Fork and Tawakoni. However, three consecutive surveys have detected zebra mussel DNA in Lake Grapevine making it highly suspect,” according to the release.
Dr. Robert McMahon, Professor Emeritus of Biology at the University of Texas at Arlington, says while this news is of concern, he suspects Lake Fork cannot sustain a zebra mussel population because of low levels of calcium, which the mussels use to construct their shells. He believes Lake Tawakoni is likely more susceptible.
The finding of zebra mussel DNA in a lake does not necessarily mean it is infested, but it may indicate boaters are inadvertently moving zebra mussels or zebra mussel DNA from lake to lake.
Boats are believed to be one of the main ways zebra mussels move from one lake to another. The only way for boaters to ensure they’re not transporting zebra mussels is to always clean, drain and completely dry boats, trailers, and gear after leaving a water body.
Recent legislature has also made it a Class C misdemeanor, on first offense, to possess or transport zebra mussels in 17 northeast Texas counties including Kaufman County.