Record Zebra Mussel Populations
The cooler weather has not only been nice for us this year, but also for the state’s zebra mussel population. The zebra mussel is an invasive clam that was first found in Oklahoma in 1993 in the McClellan-Kerr Navigation System. Everett Laney, Biologist for the Tulsa District Corps of Engineers, say’s that “our warm summers have apparently been able to keep their numbers down, but this years cooler temperatures have allowed the population to increase to record numbers”. The highest population previously recorded was 5,200 in 1997 at the Robert S. Kerr Powerhouse, south of Sallisaw. A recent population count at that powerhouse shows densities ranging from 10 million to over 14 million zebra mussels per square foot.
Zebra Mussels were found in Oologah Lake last June and the numbers have also been steadily increasing there. Oklahoma State University professor, Dr. Joe Bidwell, has been monitoring that population, as well as the population that was found in August of last year in El Dorado Lake in Kansas. Dr. Bidwell say’s “the zebra mussels are increasing in numbers and size, and reproducing”. In fact, the wet spring and summer we’ve experienced has required the Corps of Engineers to release a lot of water from El Dorado this year and the zebra mussel larvae are now showing up in Kaw Lake.
Zebra mussels are most often found in water 3 to 45 feet deep. Most are thumbnail size, but can grow to 2 inches. They have an elongated, "D"-shaped, somewhat pointed, thin shell with a zebra-like pattern of stripes. They are the only fresh water mussel that attach to solid objects.
The mussels have spread throughout large portions of the American waterway system since they were brought to the Great Lakes by trans-Atlantic ships in 1986. Their reproductive rate and their ability to attach to underwater structures have caused great economic impacts to federal, state, municipal and industrial water users. Zebra mussels control has been estimated to cost more than $3 billion annually. They also impact boats by attaching to hulls and to water inlets on boats and personal watercraft engines.
The Oklahoma Zebra Mussel Task Force is asking boaters, personal watercraft users, and anglers to take a few precautions when recreating in an infested lake or river.
As a prevention, boats and personal watercraft should not be left in the water for extended periods of time. With regular use, engine heat will keep mussels from colonizing inside most engine parts. Because microscopic zebra mussel larvae can be unknowingly transported in bilges, engine cooling systems, minnow buckets, live wells, and anywhere water is trapped, some simple precautions can help slow the spread of the zebra mussel and protect boats. These are:
1. Drain the bilge water, live wells and bait buckets.
2. Inspect the boat and trailer immediately upon leaving the water. Young zebra mussels may feel like grit on the surface.
3. Scrape off any Zebra Mussels found. Do not return them to the water.
4. Dry the boat and trailer for at least a week before entering another waterway.
5. Or, wash boat parts and accessories which contact the water (bilge, live well, pumping system and bait buckets) with a high pressure sprayer using "HOT" water (140 degrees Fahrenheit). A 10% solution of household chlorine bleach and water, or a hot saltwater solution will also kill zebra mussels. Do not wash your boat at the boat ramps where these solutions could run back into the lake.
These tips will help protect our lakes from further spread of this mussel and will help protect water users from expensive repairs and mussel cleanup costs.