Water agencies of all sizes are crafting plans and forming task forces across local, state and federal entities to protect infrastructure from the spread of golden mussels, a tiny, invasive species that has already spread the length of the state’s network of waterways.  In the San Joaquin Valley, Friant Water Authority is in the midst of another round of environmental DNA testing, this time on the entire length of the 152-mile canal, after golden mussel eDNA was detected near the White River intake in Tulare County.  Initially, the authority hoped the mussel was contained to the southern reaches of its canal, in the Arvin-Edison Water Storage District, where State Water Project supplies enter the Friant system via the Cross Valley Canal.

Other invasive species news:

• CBS Sacramento: Video: What’s being done to fight the spread of golden mussels in San Joaquin County
• Nature Communications Earth & Environment: Shipping and water diversion pathways expand the global area at risk from invasive freshwater bivalves