Zebra mussels poised to invade Manitoba

Manitoba officials are on high alert following the recent discovery of larval zebra mussels in the Red River in North Dakota.  

The mussels, which were transported to North America from Asia in the ballast water of ocean-going ships, have caused millions of dollars in damage to infrastructure in the Great Lakes for years but hadn't been seen west of Ontario until now.

Wendy Ralley, a water-quality specialist with the Manitoba government, says colonies of the mussels have infested all of the Great Lakes as well as the Mississippi River and its major tributaries down to the Gulf of Mexico.

Ralley says that can cause big problems and huge maintenance costs for water purification facilities, waste-water treatment plants and hydroelectric dams, as well as boats and piers.

"They get into pipes, pumps and into propellers and they certainly impact our native species of clams and other organisms," Ralley told CBC News, adding the province has an emergency plan to install filters and other devices to try to limit any potential damage.

Nathan Olson, an invasive species specialist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, says the mussels have been a problem there for a decade and Manitoba should prepare itself.

"These things are obviously coming their way, [and] there's no means of controlling these besides trying to filter the entire Red River, which would cost billions of dollars to try to do so," he said.

In a bid to slow the advance of the mussels, the Manitoba government is asking people who take their boats to areas with zebra mussels to check them thoroughly when they return home.

Boaters need to be made aware of the danger, tour boat company manager Bud Simmons says.

"You know, it doesn't take much to check," he said. "I mean really it's something we don't want, don't need and we can avoid."