Zebra and Quagga mussels are a threat to Alberta’s lakes and irrigation systems. The Alberta government and irrigation districts are trying to keep them out of the province. They say the mussels look like tiny clams that fix themselves to hard submerged surfaces threatening recreation areas, community water supplies, power plants and irrigation systems.
Chris Gallagher, from the St. Mary River Irrigation District said, “They can attach and accumulate over time, successive generations of them and start clogging off the flow to pipelines.”
Although Zebra and Quagga mussels aren’t in the province yet, they’re close. They’ve been found in lakes across the Canada -U.S. Border and in some other provinces.
“Our greatest concern is when we have recreational boaters go to areas that are infested with the mussels. They could potentially bring them back on their boats and infest Alberta lakes,” said Andrea Kalischuk from Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.
They’re asking boaters to clean, drain and dry their boats when removing them from a lake that may be infested.
Kalischuk said, “The Alberta Government as well as partners like the irrigation districts are working with recreational boaters to educate them, what to look for, what the mussels look like and also how to properly clean, drain and dry their boats.”
Summer students will check boats at the border this year. 65 lakes and irrigation reservoirs will also be monitored for for zebra and quagga mussels. Kalischuk said monitoring will be done by submerging weighted PVC pipes into water near boat docks.
“Every couple of weeks we’ll go and pull up the string and check the PVC,” she said. “If the PVC pipe has some texture on it that may be an indication that the juvenile mussel forms have attached and colonized the pipe and are in the lake.”
The Hotline number to call about Zebra mussels, Quagga mussels and other invasive species is 1-855-336-2628.
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