San Francisco Chronicle
The industrial area along the Port of Stockton, a deepwater shipping channel located on an island in the Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta, on May 22, 2023, in Stockton, Calif.
George Rose/Getty ImagesLast October, an invasive species never before seen in North America was discovered in the deep waters of the Port of Stockton, about 92 miles east of San Francisco. No larger than the size of a paperclip, the seemingly innocuous, caramel-colored shells of golden mussels clinging to buoys and monitoring equipment in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta — and subsequently found at O’Neill Forebay in the San Luis Reservoir near Los Banos — have left California officials scrambling to stop the spread.
On Wednesday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife released its plan to address what it’s calling an “urgent invasive species threat,” with strategies to prevent further distribution of golden mussels and to minimize their impact on the environment, recreation, agriculture and, notably, drinking water infrastructure.
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Two-thirds of California residents depend on water from the San Joaquin Delta, as SFGATE previously reported. Krysten Kellum, a spokesperson for the CDFW, said the mollusks are “highly efficient filter feeders that can form dense colonies,” and if they were to spread to the Bay Area, they could clog pipes, impede water flow and damage watercraft motors.
“These impacts necessitate ongoing, costly removal to maintain operational function,” Kellum said, which can lead to “economic impacts to water conveyances, energy production, recreation, agriculture and ultimately, the public.”
Golden mussels are an invasive species from China and Southeast Asia and were first identified outside of their native range in South America in the 1990s. Experts suspect the mussels were likely introduced to California by a ship traveling from an international port.
“The discovery of golden mussels in California is a serious challenge that requires coordinated action and a long-term commitment,” CDFW Director Charlton Bonham said in a news release. “This response framework recommends critical steps that must be taken across state, regional and local levels to limit the spread and mitigate the impacts of this invasive species.”
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The agency also plans to offer $1 million in grant funding to boating facility operators to help prevent any new introductions of the species and ensure the long-term ecological health of California’s lakes, reservoirs and other waterways. Reservoir managers are also introducing new guidelines to swimmers and boaters before the busy summer months.
Folsom Lake at the base of the Sierra Foothills and Lake Clementine just outside of Auburn closed to all trailered and motorized vessels on Monday, and people who want to launch their boats there will be required to go through a mandatory 30-day quarantine, per California State Parks. After May 14, visitors will be “required to have a quarantine, and/or decontamination seal intact and verified prior to entering the water,” officials said. Lake Berryessa, similarly, requires hot water decontamination or a 30-day quarantine.
Officials are trying to control the spread of golden mussels in California waterways.
California Department of Fish and WildlifeCurrent rules for other Bay Area waterways are as follows, per a map from KCRA-TV:
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