Calif. to Close Aqueduct to Fight Parasitic Invaders
Pastor Dale Morgan
Jul 19, 4:20 PM EDT
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Calif. to Close Aqueduct to Fight Parasitic Invaders*
HEMET, Calif. (AP) -- Portions of the 242-mile Colorado River Aqueduct
will be shut down starting Friday to fight the spread of an invasive
mussel that can clog the system that helps supply water to an estimated
18 million people.
Sections of the aqueduct are to be closed for 10 days to kill young
quagga mussels, a thumbnail-sized Ukrainian invader.
Hundreds of quaggas were found in the aqueduct during a maintenance
shutdown in March. Inspections last month found the mussels had spread
about 100 miles west.
Water in reservoirs will be used to make up the supply during the
shutdown, said Bob Muir, a Metropolitan Water District spokesman.
Quaggas also have been spotted in lakes throughout Arizona, and the
mollusks created a billion-dollar problem in the Great Lakes area by
clogging water pipelines and altering ecosystems.