Reclamation Information Sharing Environment (RISE)

Zebra and quagga mussels (Dreissena ssp.) are major macrofouling species that impact the operations and maintenance of Reclamation water delivery systems. There is a need for an economical and environmentally safe control strategy for these invasive mussels within Reclamation structures. One potential control strategy involves the use of carbon dioxide (CO2) to prevent the settlement of zebra and quagga mussels inside of Reclamation facilities. To determine the feasibility of using CO2 for this purpose, this project was split into a two-prong research approach to investigate the parameters required for successful implementation. The first prong will research CO2 treatment regimens required to prevent dreissenid settlement. A field study is being planned at Davis Dam during spring 2022. This portion of the research project will be conducted using a mobile biotesting laboratory and test on actual Lake Mohave water and quagga mussel veligers to determine effective concentrations of CO2, minimum effective exposure period and CO2 treatment efficacy with different water chemistry at different locations. This part of the research project is being done in partnership with UMESC. The second prong of this research project is investigating the use of a Speece Cone as the most efficient method of carbonation of reservoir water at Reclamation dam and powerplant facilities.