After hearing there’s an “immediate threat” to Stockton’s water supply, the City Council has made an emergency declaration over the rapid spread of golden mussels in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Screens on intake pipes from the Delta that prevent fish from entering Stockton’s water system were found to be 30% to 40% clogged with the tiny mussels that are wreaking havoc across California lakes and rivers, said Travis Small, deputy director of water resources in Stockton’s Municipal Utilities Department, or MUD. The city is spending $209,000 this week to clean the underwater screens and other gear.
The golden mussel invasion represents an “immediate threat to municipal water conveyance at our Delta intake station,” Small told the council. “If we lose our Delta intake station, it’s going to be really tough to meet summer (water) demand.”…