As water ranges get decrease, zebra mussels will dry out close to the shore, however will be capable to unfold into beforehand inaccessible areas.
AUSTIN, Texas — For weeks, Central Texas lake ranges have dropped due to elevated temperatures and low rainfall. As water ranges at Lake Travis get decrease, zebra mussels will die out close to the shore however have entry to new areas of the lake.
“Lower lake levels caused by the drought provide both good and bad news for zebra mussels. As lake levels decline, many zebra mussels die as they become stranded in dry areas. At the same time, the remaining population is able to colonize new areas that become available to them as lake levels drop,” the Lower Colorado River Authority mentioned in an announcement.
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), the invasive species first took maintain in Lake Travis again in 2017. Since then, they’ve been unattainable to do away with.
RELATED: TPWD urging boaters to ‘clear, drain and dry’ to cease unfold of invasive species
“It’s all triage, it’s mitigation,” Monica McGarrity, a senior scientist with TPWD finding out invasive species, mentioned. “It’s trying to prevent their impacts on the water infrastructure, on people’s private water intakes, on your boats that you’ve got in the lake. And so, unfortunately, there really is nothing that can be done to eradicate them.”
RELATED: Three Texas lakes designated as totally ‘infested’ with zebra mussels
While there could also be nothing officers can do to kill off all of the zebra mussels, McGarrity suggested neighbors at Lake Travis can nonetheless assist sluggish their unfold.
“One unfortunate side effect may be that there will be an unpleasant smell and unpleasant odor from the mussels,” McGarrity mentioned. “People who do live along the shorelines are allowed to scrape off and remove those mussels at that, like as long as they black bag them for transport for disposal.”
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