Tiny mussel poses giant threat to Utah waters

Lake Powell almost became the latest water source to be contaminated by an invasive mussel that Department of Natural Resources has been combating for nearly two years.

On Wednesday, a private boat owner tried to launch a 52-foot, $750,000 boat at Wahweap Marina, but alert inspectors detected the tiny mussels that have already contaminated another Utah reservoir and lake and could wreak havoc on Utah's water systems.

"It's a huge threat," said Larry Dalton, aquatic nuisance species coordinator. Not only do the mussels ruin boat motors, they jeopardize the health of the state's entire water system.

"They plug up the water system," Dalton said. "Utah is the second driest state in the country and we have the most complex water delivery system. … We have 1,200 miles of primary pipeline and 4,500 miles of canal. When they plug (the waterways) up, the guy at the end of the line, he's just not getting any water."

The Utah Legislature appropriated $1.4 million to help protect Utah's water system from the tiny mussels.

"Utah has been pretty worried about these mussels," said Dalton.

Those efforts paid off Wednesday when a boat was prevented from launching after a DWR biologist and concessionaire detected the mussels. It came from Lake Pleasant, Ariz., which officials have on their list of contaminated areas.

"We did avert a major catastrophe," said Dalton, who was discussing the problem with boaters at the International Sportsmen's Expo in Sandy on Thursday. "An alert inspector and biologist caught this. … Can you imagine if one of them had been out with the flu? Had anything gone wrong, we'd have contaminated Lake Powell."

Lake Powell, said Dalton, is the most used body of water in the state of Utah, as nearly one-third of those boating, fishing and playing on water choose to recreate there.

The mussels are dangerous because of the damage they do to water delivery systems, boat motors, as well as beaches.

"In the spring we fill up our reservoirs with the run-off," said Dalton. "The water level goes down over the summer."

If a body of water has been contaminated, the sunflower-sized mussels will cling to the land around the reservoir and they will be exposed as the water recedes.

"They smell putrid," said Dalton. "They shells are thin, so when you step on them, they cut your feet."