CORTEZ, Colo. (AP) - Wildlife officials are concerned after the budget for boat inspections at McPhee Reservoir was cut in half, despite a growing risk that an invasive mussel species spreading across western states could infect water in the reservoir.
The non-native quagga and zebra mussels are wreaking havoc on reservoirs in Colorado, California, Arizona and Nevada, clogging reservoirs and substantially increasing maintenance costs.
According to Elizabeth Brown, a wildlife invasive species coordinator, the only reservoir in Colorado that is currently positive for quagga mussel larvae is Pueblo Reservoir.
Quagga larva was detected in Blue Mesa Reservoir, near Gunnison, but in 2014 it was declared free of the species after having no detections for five years.
Larvae can survive in water on boats that then infect other lakes. So far, no sign of the mussels have shown up at McPhee Reservoir.
The regional office of the U.S. Forest Service suddenly cut its budget for boat inspections at McPhee from $40,000 to zero for 2015. Colorado Parks and Wildlife will still contribute its $40,000 for 2015 inspections, but they are facing an operating budget that is half the usual $80,000.
“It’s a real bombshell to learn this, and we are still figuring out what to do,” said Ken Curtis, an engineer with the Dolores Water Conservancy District, which manages McPhee Reservoir.
Potentially affected water systems include Cortez and Dove Creek municipal systems, the Dove Creek canal complex, and the Towaoc Highline canal, which feeds Ute Mountain Ute farm and ranch operations, the Cortez Journal reported (https://tinyurl.com/pawt5po).
From May through October, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife inspects trailered boats at the McPhee and House Creek ramps for standing water and decontaminates them before launching. The intent is to inspect every boat to ward off contamination as long as possible. But gaps in inspection coverage make that a challenge.
“It’s a very real threat because the mussels clog pipes and valves,” said Matt Thorpe, a CPW wildlife biologist. “It creates an economic disaster.”
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Information from: Cortez Journal, https://www.cortezjournal.com/
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