"Spurts of goo oozed between Jeff Wingfield's fingers as he methodically crushed a handful of golden mussels, popping the shells of the tiny invaders like bubblewrap. You can just push your way right through them, said Wingfield from the dock where he stood at the Port of Stockton, looking down at the thimble-sized debris in his palm. Last October, a couple of miles down the Stockton Deepwater Shipping Channel, state water managers first discovered that golden mussels had invaded North America."
"Seeing how fast they've multiplied in the last year was like a gut punch, said Wingfield, a deputy director at the port. The mussels are infamous for voracious appetites that fuel their rapid growth. Now, state and local water managers are battling to keep golden mussels from reaching uninfested lakes and reservoirs. They're racing to keep them from damaging the pumping facilities that send Delta water to farms and cities in Central and Southern California."
Golden mussels were discovered in the Stockton Deepwater Shipping Channel and have multiplied rapidly across the Sacramento-San-Joaquin Delta. Thick colonies now coat boats, piers and sampling plates and threaten pumping facilities that deliver Delta water to farms and cities in Central and Southern California. State and local water managers are working to prevent spread into uninfested lakes and reservoirs and to protect downstream water infrastructure. State agencies have prioritized protecting the rest of the state over protecting the Delta itself, leaving residents and local leaders feeling overlooked. Locals fear a stigma that will deter visitors and boaters and harm the regional economy.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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