California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
Six adult quagga mussels have been found in the Angeles Tunnel, the connector between Pyramid Lake and Elderberry Forebay, effective Dec. 8. The discovery marks the first time the small, non-native freshwater mollusk has been found in State Water Project (SWP) conveyances since the species was first discovered in California in 2007. Quagga mussels can clog water systems, alter food webs in ecosystems and damage boat engines.
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) found the mussels during a scheduled inspection of the Angeles Tunnel; however, no young sub-adult mussels were found in the tunnel. DWR found no evidence of mussel reproduction and no larval or “veliger” stage mussels were detected. Both Pyramid Lake and Castaic Lake are actively monitored each month.
The discovery has led the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to assume the invasive species has infested Pyramid Lake and that both Elderberry Forebay and Castaic Lake are presumed to be infested with the mollusk. Both Elderberry Forebay and Castaic Lake are downstream from Pyramid Lake. Elderberry Forebay is a small reservoir, partitioned from Castaic Lake in 1974, to store water for pumped-storage hydroelectricity generation.
The “infested” designation at Pyramid Lake means additional steps for boaters on the lake. Boats must be inspected and thoroughly washed upon leaving the lake. Boats will not be granted a “clean boat” tag that is normally given to boats when they leave water bodies that do not contain quagga mussels. Boats with the tag do not require inspection prior to entering other bodies of water.
The Department of Water Resources is working to mobilize and delineate the scope and degree of the mussel infestation and population. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is coordinating the effort as the state’s lead agency for invasive mussel management.
The DWR is also implementing the steps within its rapid response plan. Notifications have been sent to CDFW, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the Los Angeles County Parks Department, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and SWP contractors affected by this discovery.
