AP News, October 11th, 2007
Zebra mussels have been found in northeast Kansas and biologists fear the invasive species could soon make their way to the Kansas City area.
Kansas wildlife officials confirmed the fingernail-size creatures were found in Perry Lake, north of Lawrence. Biologists predict they'll likely pass through the dam and get into the Kansas River and eventually the Kansas City waterfront.
The zebra mussels were found in both adult and larval forms indicating reproduction, said Jason Goeckler, a nuisance species specialist for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
Scientists said they can only monitor the zebra mussels as the microscopic young will likely float with currents into Kansas City.
A Perry Lake boater last week found a single mussel on his craft, Goeckler said. Divers on Monday searched water at a marina near the dam and found three adult zebra mussels, and later discovered microscopic larvae in a water sample.
"We'll probably start seeing more adult zebra mussels early next summer," Goeckler said. "There probably won't be large numbers for two years."
A female zebra mussel can produce more than a million young in a season, and those young drift until they attach to hard surfaces and begin growing.
"They're surely being flushed out through the spillway," Goeckler said, and that's expected to cause problems downstream.
Zebra mussels have caused billions of dollars in damage to utilities, docks and beaches since they arrived from Eurasia in the 1980s.
The sharp-edged pests have been found in El Dorado Lake in 2003, as well as in Cheney Reservoir. In the past year, they have been discovered in Lake of the Ozarks, Lake Taneycomo and Bull Shoals Lake in Missouri.
Problems occur when the mussels form dense colonies on stationary objects such as pipes. They also kill native mussels, and they use nutrients needed by native fishes.
"This got our attention. We really didn't want to have to deal with these guys," said John Reddy, plant manager for the Kansas City Water Department. "We're going to be checking closer for them in the next few weeks."
The mussels move to new waters in ship ballasts and recreational crafts by surviving overland travel and clinging to bait buckets and engines.
Officials urge boaters to clean their boats inside and out when moving between lakes.
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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com
