New law could speed mussel inspections at lakes Sonoma, Mendocino

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law a bill sponsored by North Bay lawmakers intended to speed the launch of mandatory inspections for invasive quagga and zebra mussels at vulnerable reservoirs such as Lake Sonoma.

The new law, authored by state Sen. Mike McGuire, ?D-Healdsburg, will authorize entities such as the Sonoma County Water Agency to apply for grant funds to prevent the introduction of invasive mussels to critical waterways.

A spokesman for the water agency said it planned to move quickly to take advantage of funds set aside to safeguard infrastructure and ecosystems. The Sonoma County Water Agency supplies drinking water to more than 600,000 consumers in Sonoma and northern Marin counties.

“We need permanent protection of our lakes from these invasive little buggers,” McGuire said in a written statement. “Stakes couldn’t be higher, and this new law will expedite protective measures that will stop the spread of mussels into these heavily visited reservoirs and their water conveyance systems.”

Approval of SB 790 comes just months after a close call in which prolific Quagga mussels were found stowed away on a boat about to be launched into Lake Mendocino on June 2.

The mussels were prevented from getting into the lake only because of specially trained mussel-sniffing dogs deployed on weekends at both Sonoma and Mendocino lakes through the Sonoma County Water Agency, which manages the reservoirs in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The incident proved both alarming and frustrating because the Army Corps has for several years been in possession of a $600,000 grant for a mandatory inspection program that has yet to be implemented, even though the grant was to have expired last April. The state Division of Boating and Waterways has since said it would be willing to extend the grant, and the Army Corps hopes to use it for next year, “passing the baton” to the water agency in the future, according to Nick Malasavage, chief of operations and readiness for the San Francisco District.

Quagga and zebra mussels are related species that originated in eastern Europe and have made their way to North America and across the nation in recent decades, causing destructive infestations.

As larvae, they are microscopic and easily carried in water, mud and even plant life. They can survive outside of water for days. The females produce 5 million eggs in their lifetimes.

First discovered in California in 2008, they are now present in 43 water bodies in the state.

Water agency spokesman Brad Sherwood said the agency would apply for grant funds for prevention programs at Spring Lake, as well as lakes Sonoma and Mendocino.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.