Manitoba to close harbours to stop zebra mussels in Lake Winnipeg

WINNIPEG – The Manitoba government will close Gimli, Winnipeg Beach, Balsam Bay and Arness harbours this spring to stop an infestation of zebra mussels.

Conservation Minister Gord Mackintosh said the government will spend $500,000 to spread potash to control and perhaps even eradicate the mussels.

It will likely take about two weeks in late May or early June, he said.

Officials are looking at a staging process to ensure those who fish can still access the lake when the season starts, he said.

This is the first time in the world a potash application has been applied to an open waterway, Mackintosh said.

The government is taking the action on the advice of a science advisory committee that was put together when zebra mussels were discovered in Lake Winnipeg last fall.

Zebra mussels are an invasive aquatic species that can disrupt the food chain and clog water pipes. They have already caused damage in the Great Lakes and spread in 2010 to North Dakota.

They were found at Winnipeg Beach and Gimli last year. The province has been monitoring waterways and inspecting boats for the mussels, and last year started using two high-heat, high-pressure mobile decontamination units to clean boats entering Manitoba. For more information about how to stop the spread of zebra mussels, visit the Manitoba Water Stewardship page about them.

The mussels multiply rapidly, gobble up plankton and help create algae. Zebra mussels also attach themselves to solid objects, clogging municipal and residential water supply pipes and more. They spread by attaching themselves to boats.

Manitoba has been trying to stop the arrival of zebra mussels for years by urging boat owners to inspect and clean their vessels before bringing them from other jurisdictions.

— CJOB, The Canadian Press, Global News