The first adult zebra mussels have been found in the Colorado River near Grand Junction, following increased testing and detection of the invasive species in Colorado.
Previously, Colorado Parks and Wildlife had only discovered veligers — the invasive mussel’s free-floating larvae — in the Colorado River. Adults, which cause the most destruction, have been found in other bodies of water on Colorado’s Western Slope, including Highline Lake and Mack Mesa Lake in Highline Lake State Park near Grand Junction and in a private lake in Eagle County.
On Monday, Parks and Wildlife confirmed that the adult zebra mussels were found in the Colorado River in early September. This comes around a week after they were also discovered in West and East Lake, a body of water in the Wildlife Area Section of the James M. Robb Colorado River State Park outside of Grand Junction. The lake connects to the Colorado River via a side channel.
Zebra mussels were detected in the lake, side channel and in the Colorado River where the side channel meets the river’s mainstem. The invasive aquatic species are notorious for their prolific reproduction and destruction of ecosystems and infrastructure. Once established, they’re nearly impossible to eradicate. .
