Control and prevention of macrofouling caused by the freshwater zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas), have been major concerns of managers of all types of water delivery systems since shortly after the arrival of this nuisance species in North America in 1985 (Hebert, Muncaster, and Mackie 1989). The types of operating systems and system components that can be expected to undergo zebra mussel infestations and fouling include those associated with the management and control of inland waterways; potable water treatment; agriculture; industry; and power generation (McMahon, Ussery, and Clarke 1994; Claudi and Mackie 1994).
The threat to lock structures, navigation dams, reservoir control structures, vessel locks, stream level gauging systems, pumping stations, drainage structures, and other structures present in navigable waterways is of particular interest to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps also owns and operates 75 hydroelectric power plants in the United States, all of whose components (intake structures, cooling water, transducers, gauging stations, project irrigation, fire prevention lines, etc.) have been identified as being susceptible to zebra mussel fouling (McMahon and Tsou 1990; Neilson 1992)¹. Generally, facilities that can be expected to be affected include hydropower dams, nonpower dams, navigation locks, fossil-fueled and nuclear-fueled generating plants, certain types of recreation sites (boat ramps, beaches), and miscellaneous other sites (Tippit, Cathey, and Swor 1993).
In North America, as in Europe, chemical applications to water have been the most commonly used method of zebra mussel treatment and control for internal and closed systems (Claudi and Mackie 1994). Numerous organic and inorganic chemicals are toxic to zebra mussels and can provide versatile, easy to implement, and cost-effective ways to deal with established infestations and to prevent new ones from occurring. Chemicals are expected to be a major control method and to be used as part of integrated control programs in the future. While these treatments can be designed to protect whole systems, their major drawback is the requirement for safe discharge in compliance with environmental regulations.
Since the arrival of the zebra mussel, a number of chemicals with previously known or newly discovered molluscicidal properties have been proposed for deployment against this highly invasive organism. This report describes basic guidelines for the use of those compounds that are currently registered with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for zebra mussel control, and includes a summary of the important registration process.
¹ In 1997 it was estimated that commercial power plants in the Great Lakes region spend $350,000 per year to clear away zebra mussel infestations from these types of areas (Jeffrey Reuter, US CoChair of the Council of Great Lakes Research Managers (CGLRM), address to CGLRM, 1 and 2 November 1997).