Zebra mussels could cause problems for Manitoba Hydro

The invasive species could spell trouble for Manitoba Hydro near Brandon. CTV’s Daniel Halmarson reports.

The presence of an aquatic invasive species in the western part of the province is prompting Manitoba Hydro to take action.

In December, dead zebra mussel larvae were found in the Assiniboine River near the Crown corporation’s Brandon generating station.

“Since then, we’ve started stepping up our monitoring for them, where we’re analyzing which parts of the facilities might be affected by zebra mussels,” said Peter Chura, a Hydro spokesperson.

Hydro is concerned the mussels could get into the pipes, equipment and other infrastructure.

Chura said unlike Hydro’s other hydroelectric generating stations, the one in Brandon is a thermal generating station burning natural gas to produce electricity. But it still relies on water from the Assiniboine River for cooling.

“So having that infrastructure clogged up with zebra mussels could be problematic down the road,” he said.

The Assiniboine River connects to Clear Lake which has been embroiled in a battle with zebra mussels for more than a year. It’s a battle that Parks Canada appears to have lost.

Despite efforts to keep the invasive species at bay, Parks Canada said in a notice earlier this week eradicating the invasive species was no longer feasible.

Read more: Zebra mussels have spread in Clear Lake; eradicating them is not feasible: Parks Canada

“They’re just very hard to control, and even when you try to limit their introduction, it can seem futile,” said Caleb Hasler, an associate biology professor at the University of Manitoba.

He sad the zebra mussels grow fast, outcompete native organisms for resources, and filter out the water – threatening entire aquatic ecosystems.

“The real problem is you can’t see these things until they’re at basically in their adult form. So once you’ve identified the adult in a system, it’s likely to the point where reproduction has already happened,” he said.

For Manitoba Hydro, dealing with the invasive species isn’t a new challenge. The Crown corporation has been using small amounts of chlorine to kill off the species at stations, like in Nelson River, for the past few years.

“We monitor all of our facilities and all the waterways where we operate for zebra mussels,” Chura said, noting seven facilities will be treated for zebra mussels this year.

He said Hydro is exploring other treatment options that may be needed in this fight going forward.

A provincial spokesperson told CTV News it added $500,000 to its aquatic invasive species programming last year. It has also added more inspection stations, with eight now active across the province.