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 economical and environmentally safe control strategies 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 had two research approaches to investigate the parameters required for successful implementation. The first task researched CO2 treatment regimens required to prevent dreissenid settlement and was done in partnership with UMESC. A field study was conducted at Davis Dam during spring 2022 using a mobile biotesting laboratory on Lake Mohave water that contains quagga mussel veligers to determine effective concentrations of CO2, minimum effective exposure period, and CO2 treatment efficacy with different water chemistry at different locations. The second task of this project was investigated by the Water Treatment Group of the Technical Service Center on the use of a Speece Cone as a potential method of carbonation of reservoir water at Reclamation dam and powerplant facilities.