Bob3
Contributor
Most of the cities around the Great Lakes get their drinking water from the lakes.
The City of Monroe MI had "the worse case scenario" when their drinking water intake plugged to less than 1/4 pumping capacity. Add to that the genusies had 2 90° bends so getting a pig through it was a REAL treat. They had a serious water emergency on their hands
Millions & millions of $$ had to be spent all around the Great Lakes installing chemical treatment injectors & new water intakes for both drinking water as well as power plants and a host of other factories.
I got a LOT of work thanks to the the critters, almost 10 year's worth, off & on.
Aside from the $$ impact, they'll attach themselves to any hard surface underwater. That means if you have sand or muck, the only place they'll latch on is to a native clam, eventually choking it off & preventing it from closing its shell. Entire areas that had native clam species have been wiped out.
Being filter feeders, they eat up the small particles that some the juvinile fish live on, and some fish populations have collapsed.
A species of diving duck is fond of snacking on the mussels, coons, otters, & rats will suck down a few too. Not really enough natural predators to make a dent though.
Water clarity improves considerably, but ya still can't see the wrecks 'cuz they get smothered with zebes.
Walleye in Lake Erie seem to be doing better because they can spawn on the new "zebe reefs" & their eggs are too big to be eaten.
The City of Monroe MI had "the worse case scenario" when their drinking water intake plugged to less than 1/4 pumping capacity. Add to that the genusies had 2 90° bends so getting a pig through it was a REAL treat. They had a serious water emergency on their hands
Millions & millions of $$ had to be spent all around the Great Lakes installing chemical treatment injectors & new water intakes for both drinking water as well as power plants and a host of other factories.
I got a LOT of work thanks to the the critters, almost 10 year's worth, off & on.
Aside from the $$ impact, they'll attach themselves to any hard surface underwater. That means if you have sand or muck, the only place they'll latch on is to a native clam, eventually choking it off & preventing it from closing its shell. Entire areas that had native clam species have been wiped out.
Being filter feeders, they eat up the small particles that some the juvinile fish live on, and some fish populations have collapsed.
A species of diving duck is fond of snacking on the mussels, coons, otters, & rats will suck down a few too. Not really enough natural predators to make a dent though.
Water clarity improves considerably, but ya still can't see the wrecks 'cuz they get smothered with zebes.
Walleye in Lake Erie seem to be doing better because they can spawn on the new "zebe reefs" & their eggs are too big to be eaten.
