Golden mussel threat: Reason for optimism?

Boating season ends about the time Spirit Halloween stores start popping up. It's not a hard and fast rule of autumn, of course, not like "Raiders mathematically eliminated from playoffs" – but close. As the days shorten and temperature drops, watercraft, for the most part, are not only physically stored away but mentally as well. Not this year. The next several months are going to be critical as to whether next year Northern California boaters and anglers will regain some freedom of movement that was restricted by 2025's golden mussel threat. Is there room for optimism? In two previous columns, I've featured representatives from the East Bay Municipal Utility District, which completely closed its lakes, including Camanche and Pardee, to outside vessels; and from the boating and angling communities, which are lobbying for some sort of standardized inspection system. For the last part of this informal series, I spoke with Drew Gantner of the Solano County Water Agency, which oversees Lake Berryessa. Like the previous people I've spoken with, he too seems cautiously hopeful a cooperative agreement can be reached. "Right now, water agencies are talking to one another regarding what we can do for reciprocity," he said, adding, "I know there's been a lot of frustration." Gantner explained water agencies were not only caught off-guard by the discovery of the destructive invasive species but also by the favorable conditions our Northern California waters afford them. "The golden mussel requires a far lower calcium level to be able to survive (unlike zebra or quagga mussels), so a lot of reservoirs had to really react quickly." He explains that, for example, the Solano County Water Agency "had to completely revamp and build, from the ground up, new programs to address this issue. It was a very steep learning curve for all the agencies." Steep price, too. Upward of $200,000. Given that, the ad-hoc approach to mitigation by various water agencies is understandable. Everyone had to do what was best for their lake. But now that there is a better understanding of the mussels, Gantner says the next few months will be spent by all concerned parties "having dialogue with one another, inspecting each other's facilities and decontamination training and services." Something Gantner points out that doesn't get mentioned often enough in this discussion is the cataclysmic effect the mussels could have on a lake's ecosystem. Yes, inspecting and clearing the mussels from multi-million dollar pumps, pipes and irrigation systems in the Delta will be bad – and expensive – enough. But once in a lake, Gantner said, golden mussels "will absolutely collapse the food chain. One mussel can filter a liter of water per day." Now, multiply that by millions. Not only that, "They digest the good algae and what they spit out is cyanotoxic algae" – also known as blue-green algae, which can not only destroy oxygen levels in a lake but also make conditions too toxic to even swim in. Not good. Gantner encourages boaters and anglers to exert influence too, especially regarding the funding of these projects. "Talking to state legislators would be helpful to start getting the ball rolling at a higher level. State-level resources would be very welcome," Gantner says, especially since money for such efforts is very hard to come by for smaller water agencies, some of which don't even have the staff to visually inspect boats. So get involved. It may not take all of us, but it can't hurt. In all seriousness, through these conversations I've become hopeful at least some agencies will agree on a standardized inspection protocol for 2026. Digital databases have already been created to keep track of what boats have launched where, and what level of inspection they underwent. Unlike that 16-foot skeleton you bought at the Spirit store for Halloween or the Raiders' secondary, golden mussels are truly scary. But, practical, effective solutions can be reached, and efforts are being made. So go ahead, be cautiously optimistic. There is reason to be.