ZEBRA MUSSEL DISTRIBUTION UPDATE

JULY 1994

INTRODUCTION:

From the summer of 1993 to the summer of 1994, zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) did not expand the outer reaches of their confirmed sightings distribution like the spectacular leaps they took in 1991 and 1992. However, they are being found at new locations within that distribution. It appears now that zebra mussels are filling in the "gaps" in the major navigable rivers over the past year. In other words, they are being found at locations between older reported sightings. To the best of our knowledge most of the locations where zebra mussels have been reported from in the past continue to have them present with few exceptions. The following descriptions are classified by major hydrologic units.

UPPER MISSISSIPPI:

Zebra mussels have infested virtually every lock and dam in the upper Mississippi River as well as several power generation plants. No sightings were reported from new areas in the upper Mississippi River drainage during the past year. However, they persist in previously infested areas such as the Illinois River.

LOWER MISSISSIPPI:

Zebra mussels have rapidly made their way from the Great Lakes down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. In June 1993 zebra mussels were found in Bayou Teche about one mile from its confluence with the Atchafalaya River, St. Mary Parrish, Louisiana. In the lower Mississippi River, last fall and into the winter, mussels were reported being found at Memphis, Tennessee; St. Francisville, Louisiana; and near Caruthersville, Missouri. A sighting in March of 1994 reported zebra mussels in the river at Burnside, Louisiana.

ARKANSAS-WHITE-RED:

In 1992 zebra mussels spread across Arkansas with small numbers observed at a majority of lock and dams on the Arkansas River. The furthest point west in the Arkansas River continues to be in eastern Oklahoma at Webbers Falls Lock and Dam. In the Verdigris River, a tributary of the Arkansas River also in eastern Oklahoma, zebra mussels were found at River Mile 6.4 in June 1993 and River Mile 26.6 in January 1994.

OHIO:

Zebra mussels sightings in the Ohio River cover nearly the whole length of the river except for the headwaters in Pennsylvania. They are persisting in the lower Ohio River near Metropolis, Illinois. In September 1993, populations of zebra mussels were reported from Gallia County, Ohio and Mason and Wood counties in West Virginia in the upper reaches of the Ohio. Additional sightings occurred in July 1993 in Griggs Reservoir (Franklin Co.) on the Scioto River, a tributary of the Ohio River in central Ohio.

MID ATLANTIC:

In the mid-Atlantic drainage, zebra mussels continue to inhabit the Mohawk River and the Hudson River from Albany to Haverstraw, New York. Although they also were previously reported in the southern portion of Lake Champlain, a new sighting in August 1993 found zebra mussels in the upper portion at Grand Isle.

GREAT LAKES:

By now everyone knows that zebra mussels are in all the Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair where it all began. Even though zebra mussels are still not doing well in Lake Superior, they continue to spread in the Great Lakes drainage. During the summer of 1993 they were found in 10 inland Michigan lakes. They have also been found in Green Bay (Lake Michigan) at Menominee, Michigan in June 1993 and again in April 1994. In April 1994, mussels were discovered in Portage Lake, Washtenaw Co., Michigan.

TENNESSEE:

In the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, zebra mussels continue their progression upstream. New sightings in the Cumberland River in the summer of 1993 include Old Hickory Reservoir, Old Hickory Navigation Lock, and Cumberland City Steam Plant. Nashville is furthest upstream sighting we have recorded. New Tennessee River sightings from July 1993 include Wilson Lock and Dam in Alabama, and Chickamauga, Watts Bar, and Fort Loudoun Lock and Dams in Tennessee. Another account of zebra mussels in Kentucky Lake was reported in June 1994.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

As of this update we have not received any reports of zebra mussels in the Missouri River. Two reports of zebra mussels being transported overland last fall received much attention. In California zebra mussels were found attached to a boat trailer that had been in the Great Lakes region. Fortunately, state border inspection agents recognized them and determined them to be dead. The second report from Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia, occurred when a marina operator spotted the zebra mussels on the hull of a boat just before it was to enter the water. The boat was then dry-docked a sufficient amount of time to clean the zebra mussels from the hull and dry the boat thoroughly.

This is by no means all the information on confirmed zebra mussel sightings but we feel we have received accurate information through a network of contacts to sufficiently represent the distribution. We welcome your input with information about new sightings.

For further information contact:

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U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey URL: http://nas.er.usgs.gov Page Contact Information: Amy Benson - NAS Program Page Last Modified: June 20 2005