BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) Golden mussels are no longer a distant threat for Kern County, local officials warned Tuesday, as the invasive species spreads into water systems that communities, farms and industries depend on every day.
“This is no longer a theoretical concern of something happening elsewhere. The infestation is here in systems that are communities’ farms and out industries rely on every single day,” said Thomas Brown, the county’s chief intergovernmental and legislative affairs officer, during a Kern County Board of Supervisors meeting focused on the growing problem.
Brown said the mussels can “attach to and clog infrastructure,” which “can reduce water conveyance capacity, damage equipment and drive-up maintenance costs.”
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says the mollusks’ economic impacts can include costly repairs and maintenance, reduced water flow affecting food production, water delivery to homes and flood control…