Colorado's zebra mussel infestation survives first round of treatment in Highline Lake near Grand Junction
Unfortunately, the zebra mussel infestation in Colorado has survived the first round of treatment in Highline Lake near Grand Junction. It's not only the Western Slope but the entire state's water supply that is in danger.
The issue is, that these mussels are an invasive species and once they take root in Colorado across all our bodies of water, it's pretty much game over. Right now, as far as Colorado Parks and Wildlife can tell, they're confined to Highline Lake, and park crews took special care to hose down every boat that came in and out of the water with hot water to make sure they couldn't spread.
Still, finding the mussels during a check-up still in the lake after almost a year of trying to make sure they were gone was disheartening, to say the least.
"You know, we came out optimistic," Madeline Baker, invasive species specialist with CPW said. "We really were hopeful and as soon as that first muscle, as soon as we found that, it was very sobering."
Still, there's a silver lining to all of this. The mussels famously reproduce quickly, and only 61 were officially found, compared to the potential thousands of mussels that could have grown if left unchecked. CPW said it's not pulling punches this next round.
"We are still continuing to do everything possible to get rid of them, and we're still not throwing our hands up," Baker said. "We just didn't hit a home run the first time and that's totally okay because that's how science works and we're all learning as we go."
This next attempt to kill the mussels off will include another round of chemical treatment, then draining the lake all the way down this time. Previously CPW tried to keep the fish population while still killing off the mussels... this time it's scorched Earth. That also means motorized boaters will be blocked from the lake all next year (especially when there's no water in it.) You can still go out on kayaks or paddle boards so long as the water is still there.
Right now, drastic times call for drastic measures. If the zebra mussels get out, it will mean bad news for not only the Western Slope but all bodies of water in Colorado. Think nasty, rotting, sharp mussels on every beach in Colorado, not to mention the issues the sticky netting they create makes.
"This is going to affect people's ability to get drinking water, this is going to affect our farmers' ability to raise crops in this area," Baker said. "Not only that but if people are leaving their boats in the water, these mussels can get inside their engines and foul their engines, which is a very expensive repair. As they litter the shorelines, they'll cut your feet up."
CPW also pointed out the mussels compete with our local fish for the same food, so it's adding another barrier to our fish living healthy lives in the centennial state.
CPW will start the next round of treatment in November, then will begin to drain the lake, leaving it empty by the end of 2024.
