Invasive zebra mussels raising concerns on the Western Slope

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. ( KREX ) — Invasive zebra mussels are causing issues for the Western Slope’s ecosystem and the situation could create damage to regional agriculture.

The species was discovered in both the Colorado River and Government Highline Canal in mid-July . Following the discovery, Colorado Parks and Wildlife initiated an Invasive Species Rapid Response Plan, which includes increased testing of the waters.

On Friday, Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced that more zebra mussel veligers, or larvae, were found in the Colorado River and Government Highline Canal with the increased testing. With the detections, both bodies of water are considered positive for zebra mussels.

“These results will help guide us on the next steps as we continue working closely with our partners to work on a plan to protect our natural resources and infrastructure crucial to the Grand Valley, including our goal of locating the source,” CPW Director Jeff Davis said in a release.

CPW confirms veligers have been found in two separate locations of the Colorado River between De Beque and Grand Junction. No veligers have been found upstream from the Beavertail Mountain tunnel, and no adult mussels have been found in the Colorado River or Government Highline Canal.

General Manager Tina Bergonzini of the Grand Valley Water Users Association states, “We have a lot of commercial ag on this end of the valley that operates with large row crops. But all of our laterals for the water users are piped in pressurized. We have over 150 miles of pipe and pressurized laterals. So, if the adult mussels were to get into certain parts of that buried infrastructure, it could stop water delivery.”

Public Information Officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife Northwest Region Rachael Gonzales explains, “Because of that hard shell, they end up clogging your pipes, nets that you see, for irrigation ditches and that’s where we see a huge economical impact to them is the money spent clearing these off of the infrastructure.”

These tiny mussels, the size of a dime, are not native to Colorado. The species can be dangerous if the right treatment isn’t taken immediately.

“The mitigation is going to have to cost money and that trickle down from the company is clear down to the water users and the people who are producing the food. They have to charge more for it because they’re having to pay more for water,” Gonzales states.

And on the side of nature, the mussels are affecting nature in a negative way.

“They’re filtering out all of the good things that our native fish species eat. you know, so it’s kind of killing that environment within the lake that our fish and even plants need to survive,” Gonzales said.

This particular species can be transferred from one body of water to another.

“The simple steps of clean, drain and dry. Not just cleaning, draining and drying your boats but thinking about your fishing gear, when you’re fishing in the river, make sure we’re getting it nice and clean and removing mud dirt, plant-wide water,” Gonzales said.

Until then, the Western Slope is on alert to keep the mussels from spreading to important bodies of water.

“We need the public to understand and keep an eye open for this kind of stuff. And even when it comes to people who are receiving delivered water to pay attention to their outworks,” Bergonzini said.

Keeping an eye open for these invasive species and removing them as soon as you can could be imperative for the community and the way food reaches your table.

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