BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Golden mussels may be small, but experts say they could create major problems for California's water systems, prompting urgent warnings to local water agencies across Kern County.
"The message we're trying to convey today is the mussels are here. They're down the water project. They're here. We're dealing with them now," Said Samuel Lux, President of Diversified Project Services International.
Local water agencies, engineers, and industry leaders gathered on Wednesday to learn more about the invasive species and possible mitigation efforts. Experts say the mussels were first discovered in California's Delta in 2024 and are believed to have arrived from Asia on ships. They say the species reproduces quickly.
"They are a huge threat to farmers, to irrigation, to hydroelectric dams, to cooling water systems," Leonard Willett said.
Willett, with RNT Consulting Inc., a mussel consulting firm, says the golden mussels are more aggressive than other mussel species because they can survive in tougher conditions and even live outside of water for days.
He says while the mussels can't be fully eliminated from an infected waterway, systems can be protected using mitigation methods like UV treatment technology.
"You can put an Atlantium HOD light in that cooling water line and take out the mussel from growing in that line from plugging their cooling water. So anybody that is not taking action now is in trouble," Willett said.
Willett hopes California will declare a state of emergency, allowing counties to access state and federal funding to help cover the costs of mitigation efforts.
"I think they're too late. I think they should have already declared an emergency. So if there is any way possible, I think that should be done," Willett said.
Experts say preventing the spread of golden mussels will also depend on the public, especially boaters, by making sure boats and equipment are properly cleaned, drained, and dried before entering another waterway.
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