Zebra mussels have profound environmental impact on any area they infest. They also foul all exposed marine structures and cause a number of problems to industrial raw water users. The reason for this is rooted in their biology. One of the primary biological factors of concern is the presence of a vast number of free living larvae (the veligers) . The free living larvae aid dispersal and allow penetration and infestation of industrial systems. All raw water systems are vulnerable to infestation to greater or lesser degree. Of particular concern are safety systems such as fire protection.
The ability of the mussel to firmly attach to a wide range of substrates results in fouling of all available surface and difficulty in removal.
Further, the hard shell of the adult allows it to isolate itself from the environment and survive short periods of unfavourable conditions.
Monitoring for their arrival and their seasonal abundance provides early warning and triggers mitigation.
This paper deals briefly with the biology of zebra mussels, how to monitor for them and how to decide on proactive vs reactive treatment strategy for industrial systems. To-date, many different chemical and non-chemical techniques for zebra mussel control have been investigated. However, the treatment of choice for most facilities is still based on some form of chemical control.