Golden mussels detected in Friant-Kern Canal threaten water deliveries

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (FOX26) — Officials are sounding the alarm over an invasive species threatening one of California’s key water systems.

Golden mussels, first detected in the Friant-Kern Canal two months ago, are rapidly multiplying and could disrupt water delivery to farms and communities in the southern San Joaquin Valley.

The Friant Water Authority held a board meeting Thursday to address the infestation and outline next steps.

The board voted to hire a consultant to develop a comprehensive control plan, though any treatment would require permits and could take several months.

The agency is also seeking grants to help fund prevention and control efforts.

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Edwin Camp, a Bakersfield-area farmer whose family has farmed the region for over 80 years, warned that the mussels are spreading quickly through pipelines, gates, and even open canals.

“Within our water district we’ve seen in less than a year a huge population explosion of the Golden Mussel,” Camp said. “It’s a huge potential problem. It hasn’t become a problem yet, but if we don’t get them under control immediately this year, we’re going to start seeing effects.”

Camp says the southern end of the 152-mile canal, which runs from Millerton Lake on the San Joaquin River down to Bakersfield, is already being affected.

Northern sections remain clear, but water introduced from the state system is bringing mussels into the southern reaches.

Camp said, “We don’t have time to spare to study it…we’ve got to be working on it right now.”

State lawmakers are also moving quickly to address the growing threat of invasive golden mussels in California’s waterways.

Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom says she has been working with the California Water Parks and Wildlife Commission on new legislation aimed at speeding up permitting and expanding decontamination efforts to prevent the mussels from spreading further.

“This is a really impactful issue that we have to be ahead of,” Ransom said. “What we don’t want to do is wake up in May after this whole spawning period and have an even bigger problem in our hands.”

Ransom stressed that swift action is critical, warning that delays could increase both the cost and the potential damage caused by the invasive species.

Officials say time is critical as they work to prevent the invasive species from spreading further and threatening the region’s water supply.

Should state leaders boost funding and safety now or wait for new technology to fight the golden mussel?

California State Parks’ Division of Boating and Waterways will open its grant cycle in March, offering up to $2 million to support mussel prevention and control programs statewide.