Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 27, 1993 TAG: 9310270066
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
No longer is it just an obscure shellfish that has infested the Great Lakes and poses a potential threat to water supplies in the Midwest.
It has come to Western Virginia.
It's believed to be the first time the shellfish has been found in Virginia, either alive or dead.
About 30 zebra mussels recently were discovered on a yacht that was brought to Smith Mountain Lake from Lake Michigan.
The yacht, purchased by a Smith Mountain Lake resident, was transported by truck.
When it arrived at the Pelican Point Yacht Club, the shellfish were found on the boat's exterior. The yacht club notified the Virginia Game and Inland Fisheries Department.
Bud LaRoche, regional fisheries manager for the state agency, said Tuesday he inspected the boat and confirmed that the shellfish were zebra mussels.
Kit Kiser, Roanoke's director of utilities, said it was alarming that zebra mussels had been found so close to the city's water supply.
"We hope people realize that this is indeed a threat," Kiser said.
Roanoke officials came under criticism last year from boaters and anglers for proposing restrictions on the use of Carvins Cove.
Kiser said this confirms the zebra mussel can be transported by boat, as city officials warned last year.
LaRoche said the yacht had been treated with an acid to kill the shellfish before it left the Menominee River area in Michigan. The boat had been out of the water for four days when it arrived at Pelican Point, he said.
The zebra mussels appeared to be dead, LaRoche said. But the boat was treated with salt and kept out of the water for another three days as a precautionary move to make sure the shellfish were dead.
A solution of a half cup of salt to a gallon of water is recommended for killing the zebra mussels, he said.
LaRoche said the Game and Inland Fisheries Department will work with the Transportation Department to develop a system to alert officials when boats are being transported over highways.
Zebra mussels have been found in Eastern Tennessee, but LaRoche said this is the first time they have been discovered in Virginia.
Dense colonies of the shellfish, containing as many as 70,000 per square yard, have been found on the bottom of the Great Lakes. Researchers say the spread of the zebra mussels across North America is almost a certainty.
Because they grow so fast, they can clog water intakes and outlets and cut off a water supply. Roanoke officials fear this might happen if the Carvins Cove reservoir is infested.
The shellfish move by following water currents and attaching themselves to boat hulls and trailers, where they can survive several days out of water.
To reduce the chances for Carvins Cove to become infested, Roanoke requires all boats that are used on the reservoir to be inspected. Boat owners also must certify that their craft have been in no waters other than Carvins Cove in the previous three weeks.
The reservoir is open only to boat owners in the Roanoke Valley, Botetourt County and Bedford County.
Initially, city officials recommended a ban on private boating atogether. The city would have provided rental boats.
But boaters and anglers protested the recommendation, accusing the city of overreacting. The city then enacted the inspection system that allows boat owners to use their own crafts.
Kiser said Tuesday he has no plans to revive the proposal for a ban of private boating on Carvins Cove.
by CNB