Boating
Colorado lakes, reservoirs are free of invasive mussels
Courtesy photo / Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Invasive species damage Colorado's lands and waters, hurt the economy, ruin recreational opportunities and threaten public health.
More boats found with mussel infestations in 2020
DENVER — More boats requiring decontamination because of infestations of destructive mussels entered Colorado in 2020 compared to previous years; but the statewide inspection program coordinated by Colorado Parks and Wildlife again succeeded in keeping invasive mussels out of the state’s lakes and reservoirs.
Thanks to CPW’s comprehensive Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) prevention program, all waters in the state are now officially free of evidence of mussels. In 2017, veligers, the microscopic larval stage of quagga mussels, found at Green Mountain Reservoir showed that mussels might exist there. But three years of subse-
quent water testing were negative for mussel species. “Colorado Parks and Wildlife continues to meet the challenge of protecting the state’s waters and infrastructure from aquatic nuisance species,” said Robert Walters, CPW’s ANS program manager. “But as boating season
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approaches we continue to ask for help from boat owners in maintaining our mussel-free status.” Mussels are destructive to aquatic habitat, can seriously damage reservoir infrastructure and cause problems on boats. As usual, Colorado’s ANS inspecSee MUSSELS, pg. 12
