where are zebra mussels found in the united states
Great Lakes Hudson River
title: Zebra mussel text: USGS Zebra mussel distribution map for full scope of invasion. Congressional researchers have estimated that the zebra mussel has cost businesses and communities over $5 billion since their initial invasion. Zebra mussels have cost power companies alone over $3 billion. From their first appearance in American waters in 1988, zebra mussels have spread to a large number of waterways, including Lake Simcoe in the Great Lakes region, the Mississippi, Hudson, St. Lawrence, Ohio, Cumberland, Missouri, Tennessee, Huron, Colorado, and Arkansas Rivers, and 11 lakes and 5 river basins in Texas. Today, the invasion continues. For instance, in 2009, the Massachusetts title: National Invasive Species Act text: of nonindigenous species that are mentioned in NISA. In 1988 zebra mussels ("Dreissena polymorpha") were found in Lake Erie, and soon after they spread to all the Great Lakes. Since then, zebra mussels can still be found in each of the Great Lakes, as well as throughout the major navigable rivers in the eastern part of the United States (including the Hudson, St. Lawrence, and Niagara Rivers). Recent reports have revealed that this species has dispersed as far as California. A native of western Russia, the zebra mussel most likely made its way to North America through the release of title: Zebra mussel text: of zebra mussel in the Great Lakes alone exceeds $500 million a year. A more conservative study estimated total economic costs of $267 million for electric-generation and water-treatment facilities in the entire United States from 1989 through 2004. Zebra mussels are filter feeders. When in the water, they open their shells to admit detritus. As their shells are very sharp, they are known for cutting people's feet, resulting in the need to wear water shoes wherever they are prevalent. Since their colonization of the Great Lakes, they have covered the undersides of docks, boats, and anchors. They have also spread title: Zebra mussel text: on the genetic algorithm for rule-set production (GARP), a group of researchers predicted that the southeastern United States is moderately to highly likely to be inhabited by zebra mussels and the Midwest unlikely to experience a zebra mussel invasion of water bodies. However, this model has since been proven incorrect. In 2006 a researcher (also using GARP) predicted invasion as far west as the North Platte River, Nebraska, by 2015. As of March 2016, zebra mussels have affected hundreds of lakes in the Midwest including Lake Michigan, and the largest freshwater lake in Wisconsin, Lake Winnebago. See the March 2016 title: Zebra mussel text: into streams and rivers throughout the US. In some areas they completely cover the substrate, sometimes covering other freshwater mussels. They can grow so densely that they block pipelines, clogging water intakes of municipal water supplies and hydroelectric companies. Zebra mussels do not attach to cupronickel alloys, which can be used to coat intake and discharge grates, navigational buoys, boats, and motors where the species tends to congregate. Zebra mussels are believed to be the source of deadly avian botulism poisoning that has killed tens of thousands of birds in the Great Lakes since the late 1990s. They are edible.