Zebra Mussels can attach themselves to other aquatic life

No live specimens were found, but this is the first time evidence of zebra mussels in the river has been found at Kansas City. Biologists did not know whether they rode into the area on barges or washed downstream from an established colony.   Regardless, the find heightens concerns about zebra mussels becoming an expensive pest in the river and then moving into other Missouri and Kansas lakes and streams to cause ecological harm. For the Memorial Day weekend, warnings are being posted at boat launching ramps in both states.

The warnings urge boaters to take steps to keep the mussels from hitching a ride to new waters on trailered boats.
 
"This is a wakeup call that we're going to have to take this seriously and begin to deal with it," said Steve Adams, natural resources coordinator for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
 
About 30 half-shells of zebra mussels were found last week in routine maintenance on a water intake screen at the Quindaro Power Station, said Susan Allen a spokeswoman for the Kansas City, Kan., Board of Public Utilities. They were confirmed as zebra mussel shells by biologists for the BPU and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
 
"It's on my mind: Are they establishing themselves and are we in for trouble down the road on the Missouri River?" said Sue Bruenderman, a fishery biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. 
Zebra mussels caused millions of dollars in damage in the Great Lakes region after arriving there by way of ship ballast in 1988. They have few natural predators to control their numbers and can form dense colonies that clog pipes, damage boats and harm native species. The thumbnail-sized mussels have spread rapidly down the Mississippi River and into eastern rivers in the past decade.

One female zebra mussel can produce a million eggs. The species microscopic young, called veligers, can ride currents, barges, boats and any residual water in boats and motors to new territory. 
Barges that have been in the Mississippi River are probably carrying the mussels attached to their hulls into the Missouri River system, Bruenderman said.
 
A live zebra mussel was found in 1999 at a power plant water intake in Iowa, upstream on the Missouri River from Kansas City. Last year a marina employee at Lake of the Ozarks narrowly averted the launch of a boat that had live zebra mussels encrusted on its hull. The boat had been moored in the Mississippi.
 
The shells found at Quindaro will prompt both utilities and wildlife officials to watch this summer for colonies on the river.
 
Meanwhile, boaters, especially those traveling to states with known contamination, are asked to help halt the mussel spread. Besides the Mississippi River, zebra mussels are found in rivers in Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Anyone finding live zebra mussels should report them.
In Kansas, call 1-(913) 894-9113 or 1-(620) 342-0658.
In Missouri call 1-(573) 751-4115, ext. 3239. 
To reach Bill Graham, natural science reporter and Northland columnist, call (816) 234-5906
or send e-mail to bgraham@kcstar.com.