ALTIVIA - Application Detail (Zebra Mussel Control)

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Zebra Mussel Control

Zebra mussels are a non-indigenous species of mollusk believed to have been brought to the US in the ballast water of transoceanic ships.

Zebra mussels, the most prolific of the foreign mollusks, grow to about one inch in length, and a healthy female can produce up to 1.5 million veligers in a single season. The veliger is a free swimming larva which hatches from the egg and remains suspended in the water column for one to three weeks, drifting with currents.

These fresh water mollusks are too small to be seen with the naked eye as juveniles. Becoming more visible as they mature, they develop the ability to attach to surfaces.

Zebra mussel fouling disrupts commerce and can also alter freshwater ecosystems. Zebra mussels, initially confined to the Great Lakes region, are now a national problem having been found in 20 US states. The Center for Biological Macrofouling Research, University of Texas Arlington, predicts that biofouling of potable water treatment, navigation, industrial and power generating raw water systems by zebra mussels will eventually cost between 3-4 billion dollars year as they spreads throughout North American freshwaters.

Sub Applications

Industrial Water