Zebra Mussels: A hidden environmental and anthropogenic disaster--Kevin Martinez, Celeste Portella, and Chloe Fisher
This is “Zebra Mussels: A hidden environmental and anthropogenic disaster” with Kevin, Celeste, and Chloe. In this podcast, we will be discussing zebra mussels and their economic effects on vulnerable human populations. Additionally, we sat down with Asher Price from the Austin American Statesman to get an expert’s perspective on the issue of zebra mussels in Lake Travis and the impact of invasive species at large.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, zebra mussels are a small species of mussels native to fresh waters in Eurasia. Seemingly harmless upon first glance, these small zebra-stripe-shelled creatures coming in at a mere 1.5 inches are easily transferable on the bottom of boats and when they make their way across oceans and into lakes such as Lake Travis in Austin, Texas, for example, they become a tyrannical invasive species.
In this podcast we discuss how zebra mussels dominate the habitats of native species, damaging even the most previously stable of lake ecologies and drastically affecting fish populations. Additionally, the species can damage boats, boating equipment, and navigation systems such as buoys which means that it acts as an active water safety threat for humans. And just to make matters worse, just “one zebra mussel can produce up to 1 MILLION microscopic larvae” (National Invasive Species Center). This means that once they are introduced to an ecosystem they are exceedingly difficult to eliminate.
The negative effect most discussed in our podcast, however, is the fact that zebra mussels can disrupt water supplies by colonizing inside pipelines and restricting water flow. Thereby damaging water intake structures that provide water to thousands of homes and businesses, making water more expensive. And what’s more is that public utility operations are drastically affected by zebra mussels, nationally costing the power industry upwards of 60 million dollars each year.
We also go into the politicalization of our topic which ultimately hinders rather than helping the negative economic impacts on vulnerable communities. We explore this hot-button issue in our interview with Asher Price. The reasoning behind this is that power companies need to make money in order to survive, as is the case with any successful business model. The brunt of extra expenses lies where it always does, with the consumer. And with how necessary water is to every human life, this extra cost may not be as feasible to some communities as it is to others. It all comes down to money, as elaborated upon further in our podcast.
We round out our podcast by outlining the mitigation efforts actively in the works against zebra mussels. These mitigation efforts are currently the only way we are able to lessen the burden of this species on the environment and the anthropocene as once zebra mussels are introduced into an ecosystem, they are nearly impossible to remove entirely.
We hope you enjoy our podcast as we attempt to inform those who seek to create a more equitable and sustainable future for the environment and humans everywhere.
Bibliography
Staff, Author: KVUE. “City of Austin Approves Spending up to $4 Million to Combat Zebra Mussels.” Kvue.com, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2020,https://www.kvue.com/article/tech/science/environment/austin-council-zebra-musse l-funding/269-ed673b55-b848-4c32-af07-11f1f3cd57b7.
Haak, Matt, et al. “Why Are Zebra Mussels a Problem?” Zebra Mussels: Why Are They a Problem?, 3 May 2007, https://people.uwec.edu/piercech/zebra/index_files/Page581.htm. Knight, Author: Drew. “'Clean, Drain and Dry.' Zebra Mussels Still a Problem for Central Texas Lakes This Summer.” Kvue.com, ABC News, 24 May 2019, https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/clean-drain-and-dry-zebra-mussels-still-a-probl em-for-central-texas-lakes-this-summer/269-d3cc76de-ac30-4be1-ab1e-4d34d9d4ec24. “Protect the Lakes You Love. Stop Zebra Mussels.” Texas Invasives, Texas Invasives, https://www.texasinvasives.org/.
Staff, Author: KVUE. “City of Austin Approves Spending up to $4 Million to Combat Zebra Mussels.” Kvue.com, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2020, https://www.kvue.com/article/tech/science/environment/austin-council-zebra-mussel-fun ding/269-ed673b55-b848-4c32-af07-11f1f3cd57b7.
“Zebra Mussel Mitigation.” Zebra Mussel Mitigation | AustinTexas.gov, Austin Water, 26 Oct.
2020, https://www.austintexas.gov/department/zebra-mussel-mitigation.
“Zebra Mussel.” Zebra Mussel | National Invasive Species Information Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatic/invertebrates/zebra-mussel.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, zebra mussels are a small species of mussels native to fresh waters in Eurasia. Seemingly harmless upon first glance, these small zebra-stripe-shelled creatures coming in at a mere 1.5 inches are easily transferable on the bottom of boats and when they make their way across oceans and into lakes such as Lake Travis in Austin, Texas, for example, they become a tyrannical invasive species.
In this podcast we discuss how zebra mussels dominate the habitats of native species, damaging even the most previously stable of lake ecologies and drastically affecting fish populations. Additionally, the species can damage boats, boating equipment, and navigation systems such as buoys which means that it acts as an active water safety threat for humans. And just to make matters worse, just “one zebra mussel can produce up to 1 MILLION microscopic larvae” (National Invasive Species Center). This means that once they are introduced to an ecosystem they are exceedingly difficult to eliminate.
The negative effect most discussed in our podcast, however, is the fact that zebra mussels can disrupt water supplies by colonizing inside pipelines and restricting water flow. Thereby damaging water intake structures that provide water to thousands of homes and businesses, making water more expensive. And what’s more is that public utility operations are drastically affected by zebra mussels, nationally costing the power industry upwards of 60 million dollars each year.
We also go into the politicalization of our topic which ultimately hinders rather than helping the negative economic impacts on vulnerable communities. We explore this hot-button issue in our interview with Asher Price. The reasoning behind this is that power companies need to make money in order to survive, as is the case with any successful business model. The brunt of extra expenses lies where it always does, with the consumer. And with how necessary water is to every human life, this extra cost may not be as feasible to some communities as it is to others. It all comes down to money, as elaborated upon further in our podcast.
We round out our podcast by outlining the mitigation efforts actively in the works against zebra mussels. These mitigation efforts are currently the only way we are able to lessen the burden of this species on the environment and the anthropocene as once zebra mussels are introduced into an ecosystem, they are nearly impossible to remove entirely.
We hope you enjoy our podcast as we attempt to inform those who seek to create a more equitable and sustainable future for the environment and humans everywhere.
Bibliography
Staff, Author: KVUE. “City of Austin Approves Spending up to $4 Million to Combat Zebra Mussels.” Kvue.com, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2020,https://www.kvue.com/article/tech/science/environment/austin-council-zebra-musse l-funding/269-ed673b55-b848-4c32-af07-11f1f3cd57b7.
Haak, Matt, et al. “Why Are Zebra Mussels a Problem?” Zebra Mussels: Why Are They a Problem?, 3 May 2007, https://people.uwec.edu/piercech/zebra/index_files/Page581.htm. Knight, Author: Drew. “'Clean, Drain and Dry.' Zebra Mussels Still a Problem for Central Texas Lakes This Summer.” Kvue.com, ABC News, 24 May 2019, https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/clean-drain-and-dry-zebra-mussels-still-a-probl em-for-central-texas-lakes-this-summer/269-d3cc76de-ac30-4be1-ab1e-4d34d9d4ec24. “Protect the Lakes You Love. Stop Zebra Mussels.” Texas Invasives, Texas Invasives, https://www.texasinvasives.org/.
Staff, Author: KVUE. “City of Austin Approves Spending up to $4 Million to Combat Zebra Mussels.” Kvue.com, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2020, https://www.kvue.com/article/tech/science/environment/austin-council-zebra-mussel-fun ding/269-ed673b55-b848-4c32-af07-11f1f3cd57b7.
“Zebra Mussel Mitigation.” Zebra Mussel Mitigation | AustinTexas.gov, Austin Water, 26 Oct.
2020, https://www.austintexas.gov/department/zebra-mussel-mitigation.
“Zebra Mussel.” Zebra Mussel | National Invasive Species Information Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatic/invertebrates/zebra-mussel.