Eradicate Quagga And Win $100,000

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter
Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY,  Utah.  February 23, 2018. Scott Tollentino, DRW, alerted the Rich Civic Times to a $100,000 prize which will be given to the researcher or lay person who can eradicate the Quagga Mussels without damaging local fisheries.  Quagga are invading lakes throughout the country and both Utah and Idaho are spending a lot of resources to  keep them out of Bear Lake.  But it is only a matter of time until Bear Lake is infested.

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is seeking innovative solutions to eradicate invasive zebra and quagga mussels from large reservoirs, lakes, and rivers in a cost effective and environmentally sound manner. Invasive mussel infestations pose significant logistical and economic challenges for local communities, recreationists, and water managers. Currently, no practical methods exist for large-scale eradication of invasive dreissenid mussel populations once they become widely established in a reservoir, lake, or river (referred to as “open water”). Solutions can be novel treatments or approaches that build upon existing treatments. This Challenge launches Stage 1 of a planned three-stage Grand Challenge that includes laboratory-scale and field-scale demonstrations.

Challenge Orientation Video: Subject matter experts from Reclamation discuss the need for innovative solutions to eradicate invasive mussels in open water: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWEFlDAUeFQ.

Two species of dreissenid mussels, Dreissena polymorpha (zebra mussel) and Dreissena rostriformis “bugensis” (quagga mussel), have become established in freshwater lakes, reservoirs, and rivers in the United States. Invasive dreissenid mussels pose significant challenges for Reclamation and all agencies and industries that manage water. Invasive mussels are prolific breeders and settle on or within water facility infrastructure such as water intakes, gates, diversion screens, hydropower equipment, pumps, pipelines, and boats. Infested water and hydropower infrastructure can fail or choke off water transmissions. Invasive mussels negatively impact the natural ecology, which can be detrimental to native and endangered species, including native fisheries. Maintaining and operating water supply and delivery facilities, water recreation, and other water dependent industries and economies in mussel infested water bodies are dramatically more expensive and complex. Public recreation may also be severely impacted by mussel infestations, from shell fragments degrading swim beaches to increased requirements and cost for boaters to have their watercraft inspected and decontaminated, and potential impacts on populations of game fish. Management of invasive mussel infestations can also lead to restricted public access, in some cases through a complete ban on public use of infested waters.

All questions, registrations, and official entries are found via the InnoCentive website