9:44 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018 Local News
Zebra
mussels have been spotted in Lady Bird Lake, and Texas wildlife officials now consider Lake Austin
to be “infested” with the invasive species.
Lady Bird Lake was upgraded to “suspect” status
because mussels or their larvae have been found at least once after the Lower
Colorado River Authority found several larvae in a plankton sample, according
to a statement from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Lake Austin is considered infested once
wildlife officials confirmed an established, reproducing population of zebra
mussels. Texas Parks and LCRA staff found adult zebra mussels and larvae in
multiple locations, including Tom Miller Dam and the Pennybacker Bridge,
wildlife officials said.
The infestation at Lake Austin and the discovery
of microscopic zebra mussel larvae in Lady Bird Lake come less than a year
after the animals were first spotted upstream in Lake Travis last June.
Zebra mussels can not only harm native
freshwater species, but they also can affect water clarity, cause algae blooms,
litter beaches with sharp shells, clog water intakes on hydroelectric facilities,
and damage boats and motors.
Monica McGarrity, whose team at Texas Parks
and Wildlife monitors aquatic invasive species, said that once zebra mussels
appeared in the Colorado River basin, they were likely to spread downstream.
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