OKC Standard

It's National Invasive Species Awareness Week. Today, we took a trip to the Hefner Water Treatment Plant to watch Water Treatment crews clean out one of our disinfection basins. These basins, which pull in raw water directly from Lake Hefner, are the first step in our water treatment process. 

As you can see, these basins can get filled up with Zebra Mussels, an invasive species that is known to cause havoc on local waterways. Not only do they feast on algae and aquatic plants that native fish and wildlife need for food, but they can adhere to solid objects such as piers and intake lines. 

They are commonly spread by boats, which is why we encourage all boaters and anglers to use the Clean - Drain - Dry method for their watercraft and equipment, so they can help stop the spread of these mussels.

Most of the mussels photographed started out as small, microscopic "seeds" that then made their way into our disinfection tanks before growing into the size you see now, approx. 1/4-1/2 an inch. 

Our crews clear out the tanks about two times per year. The mussels have no direct impact on our water supply or put our drinking water at risk. Due to the makeup of the water, the mussels cannot thrive in Lake Draper so cause no issues there.  

For more about Zebra Mussels, visit our page on okc.gov. https://www.okc.gov/.../lakes-and-fishing/zebra-mussels....

Original source can be found here