For the past 15 years, federal agencies have tried to subdue growing populations of quagga mussels, an invasive species that interferes with water infrastructure and threatens ecosystems. Crews tried scrubbing the mollusks off equipment, power washing them off boats and deploying chlorine and UV lights to prevent them from settling in pipes.
But the tiny mussels have not only resisted all deterrents, they’ve clogged cooling equipment, reduced water flow to hydropower and even changed the water quality, making it less suitable for native species.
So far, the best solutions have been too expensive and complicated to treat large, open bodies of water. Chlorine treatments can damage the hydropower infrastructure. Pesticides can harm non-target species. And manually scraping is not feasible in those vast, open waters.
