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Home > Aspen Public Radio Podcasts > Inspectors At Ruedi Reservoir First Line Of Defense Against Growing Threat Of Invasive Mussels
Podcast: Aspen Public Radio Podcasts
Episode:

Inspectors At Ruedi Reservoir First Line Of Defense Against Growing Threat Of Invasive Mussels
Category: Government & Organizations
Duration: 00:04:37
Publish Date: 2020-07-29 04:44:00
Description: On a recent busy Saturday morning at Ruedi Reservoir in the Fryingpan River valley, Jaime McCullah sprayed a high-powered jet of hot water over every nook and cranny of a bright-green motorboat. McCullah is a supervisor for Rocky Mountain Recreation, which inspects boats at Ruedi for quagga and zebra mussels. She found mussel shells, smaller than a fingernail, on the craft she just decontaminated. Last year at Ruedi, inspectors found mussels on six boats. This year, since the boat ramp’s opening June 1, inspectors have already found mussels on 13. The increase, a concern for local water officials, is an indication of a growing invasive-species problem throughout the Colorado River basin. April Long, director of the Ruedi Water and Power Authority, said the increase in boats with mussels is concerning, especially because if they take hold and multiply, they could damage the infrastructure that supports the dam at Ruedi. Once introduced, mussels can quickly clog water distribution and
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