Zebra Mussels Invasion In Central Texas Prompts July 4 Alerts

TRAVIS COUNTY, TX — Zebra mussels. Add these pesky critters to your list of things to worry about if you hit area waterways for the July 4 holiday.

The prolific, invasive critters are found in bodies of water across the county, according to parks officials who sent advisories alerting to their presence at a number of waterways ahead of the holiday.

Given their prevalence, those taking to area lakes this week might want to wear shoes while inside the water to avoid cuts and scrapes. Those hitting the water also should exercise caution where they place their hands and feet upon entering or exiting the water, particularly near underwater rocks or structures covered with zebra mussels.

According to Travis County Parks the following waterways and structures have experienced explosive growth in zebra mussel numbers:

• Arkansas Bend Park, 16900 Cherry Lane, Lago Vista, Texas.
• Bob Wentz Park, 7144 Comanche Trail, Austin, Texas.
• Cypress Creek Park, 13601 Bullick Hollow Rd., Austin, Texas.
• Fritz Hughes Park, 3100 Fritz Hughes Park Rd., Austin, Texas.
• Hippie Hollow Park, 7000 Comanche Trail, Austin, Texas.
• Loop 360 Boat Ramp, TX-360 Loop, Austin, Texas, 78746.
• Mansfield Dam Park, 4370 Mansfield Dam Park Rd., Austin, Texas.
• Mary Quinlan Park, 1601 Quinlan Park Rd. South, Austin, Texas.
• Pace Bend Park, 2011 Pace Bend Rd N, Spicewood, Texas.
• Sandy Creek Park, 9500 Lime Creek Rd., Leander, Texas.
• Tom Hughes ParkTom Hughes Park, 12714 Hughes Park Rd., Austin, Texas.

In May, state parks and wildlife officials urged boaters to to clean, drain and dry their watercraft after being on water in order to curb further spread of zebra mussels that have infested 15 Texas lakes.

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The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department provided the update over the Memorial Day weekend while issuing an updated list of lakes where invasive zebra mussel populations are especially evident, including Lake Dunlap, Lake Granger and Walter E. Long. Additionally, Lake Placid is another body of water where a large population of zebra mussels have been found, officials noted.

Parks officials aren't messing around, either. The call for careful cleaning of boats after use on lakes is no mere suggestion, but carries a fine of $500 for boaters not taking heed as the transport of invasive species is illegal in Texas.

"Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kick-off to boating season in Texas, and while we want everyone to have a great time we also want them to avoid giving free rides to invasive species when they travel to new lakes," Brian Van Zee, TPWD Inland Fisheries Regional Director, said in a prepared statement at the time. "The best way to help keep Texas lakes fun for everyone and prevent the spread of destructive invasive species is to clean, drain and dry your boats and equipment – every time."

As of May 2019, 18 Texas lakes are currently infested with invasive giant salvinia, and 15 Texas lakes are infested with an established, reproducing population of zebra mussels, officials said. The newest additions to the list of nine positive lakes where zebra mussels have been detected on more than one occasion include Lake Walter E. Long, Lake Granger and Lake Dunlap, officials added. The newest addition to the list of six suspect lakes where zebra mussels or their larvae have been found only once in recent history is Lake Placid, parks and wildlife officials said.

"Most of the lakes that received upgraded classifications are downstream of infested reservoirs, so the likelihood that zebra mussel larvae would disperse and invade them was high," Van Zee said. "But boaters still need to be extremely diligent about cleaning, draining and drying, because only boats, barges, and other equipment can transport zebra mussels upstream or to new river basins."

Invasive species can harm the recreational experience at lakes and damage aquatic ecosystems. While zebra mussels and giant salvinia remain some of the biggest threats to Texas lakes, other highly-invasive species can also be spread or introduced by in-state and out-of-state lake users, including water hyacinth and quagga mussels.

To learn more about giant salvinia, zebra mussels and other invasive species in Texas, visit https://tpwd.texas.gov/StopInvasives.

The presence of mussels is so great in area waterways, residents in the central and southern portions of Austin in February complained of a fishy smell in their tap water. Utility officials confirmed the unwanted aroma was attributable to zebra mussels in the water, yielding the fishy-smelling tap. While gross, the mussel-suffused liquid was deemed benign.

In a recent article on mussels titled "America's Mussels: Silent Sentinels," U.S. Fish & Wildlifeofficials lamented the imperiled nature of native species that actually play an important ecological role. Not so for exotic species such as zebra mussels for which officials' contempt was palpable.

"Exotic species are an ever-increasing threat to our native plants and animals," officials wrote. "For native mussels, infestation of zebra mussels has had near catastrophic effects."

Zebra mussels were most likely introduced into the Great Lakes inadvertently, from ballast water dumping by large ocean-going vessels from Europe, officials theorized. From the Great Lakes, barges and boats spread adults and larvae into the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, fish and wildlife officials added.

"They increase in numbers faster than non-native mussels and attach to almost any hard surface, including native mussels," according to the agency officials. "They reproduce so fast and in such abundance that the native mussels' movement, feeding, and reproductive behaviors are stifled. One mussel was found to have over 10,000 zebra mussels on it."