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ZEBRA MUSSELS NOT PRESENT IN
CHENEY RESERVOIR
Previous findings not supported by long-term monitoring
July 13, 2006 - PRATT -- Cheney Reservoir
is free of zebra mussels, according to Kansas Department of Wildlife
and Parks (KDWP) aquatic nuisance species specialist Jason Goeckler.
This determination comes following several years of intense monitoring
after an independent laboratory in Oklahoma reported finding
zebra mussel larvae in the lake.
Microscopic zebra mussel larvae, called veligers,
were reportedly found in samples taken from Cheney Reservoir,
located 20 miles west of Wichita, in August of 2004. Goeckler
and district fisheries biologists conducted additional sampling
the following week and every month thereafter and have never
found larvae. Samples have also been sent to independent labs
and all have been negative. In addition, settling structures,
made of PVC and designed to attract adult zebra mussels, were
placed in 2003 and continuously monitored, but no adult zebra
mussels were found. (Every KDWP-managed lake and reservoir has
these settling structures in place.)
Zebra mussels are still a cause for concern in
Kansas. They will attach to anything firm, including power plant
water intakes, municipal water systems, and boats. They can accumulate
6 inches deep and could smother native mussel beds. Zebra mussels
are filter feeders, gleaning tiny particles of organic food,
and biologists fear they will deplete food supplies necessary
to support native fish populations. The microscopic larvae can
live in a teaspoon of water.
Zebra mussels are an exotic transplant native to
the Black and Caspian seas in Europe. The name comes from light-colored
stripes on the mussels' shells. In North America, they were first
found the in the Great Lakes in 1988, apparently carried in the
ballast of ships. Adults are fingernail-sized mussels that threaten
aquatic ecosystems and industry.
Zebra mussels were found in El Dorado Reservoir
in 2003 and quickly became abundant. Just about any hard object
placed in the reservoir will become encrusted with zebra mussels
in a short time. Shorelines are littered with broken zebra mussel
shells, requiring waders and swimmers to wear shoes. While there
is no known way to control or eliminate established populations,
KDWP has developed education materials for anglers and boaters
to prevent the inadvertent spread of zebra mussels to other Kansas
waters.
"While the news from Cheney Reservoir is very
good," Goeckler said, "we don't want our lake users
to become complacent. If boaters and anglers are vigilant, we
can keep zebra mussels, as well as other nuisance species, from
invading other lakes."
Goeckler recommends the following steps to prevent
the spread of zebra mussels: drain bilge water, live wells, and
bait buckets; remove any attached vegetation or mud; inspect
the boat and trailer for attached zebra mussels, and scrape off
any mussels present; and dry boat and trailer for five days,
OR wash boat and trailer with 104-degree water, a 10-percent
chlorine/water solution, or hot saltwater solution, then finish
with clean rinse.
For more information on zebra mussels or other
aquatic nuisance species, go to www.kdwp.state.ks.us, or call
(620) 342-0658.
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