Zebra and quagga mussel resistant water intake screens

Quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) are native to the Black Sea and Caspian Sea regions in Europe and Asia. From there, they have spread to various parts of Europe, North America, and beyond, where they have become invasive in many freshwater ecosystems.

In North America, quagga mussels were introduced to the Great Lakes in the late 1980s, likely through ballast water from transatlantic ships. Since then, they have rapidly spread throughout the U.S. and Canada, particularly in the Great Lakes, and have moved westward into the Colorado River Basin, reservoirs, and rivers across the West. In fact, their ability to colonize a wide range of water bodies, from lakes and rivers to reservoirs and irrigation canals, has made them a major concern for water intake systems in both North America and Europe.

Their prevalence in both regions has led to significant issues for water infrastructure. Quagga mussels can block water intake pipes and filtration systems, increase maintenance costs, and reduce the efficiency of water treatment operations. Their rapid reproduction—where a single female can produce up to a million eggs per year—exacerbates the problem. In addition to their impact on infrastructure, quagga mussels disrupt aquatic ecosystems by filtering large quantities of plankton, which depletes food sources for native species and alters water quality. Efforts to control their spread and manage their effects are ongoing and costly in both Europe and North America.

Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) also originate from the Caspian and Black Sea basins. Today, they are widely invasive in many parts of the world, particularly in Europe and North America, where they primarily colonize lakes, ponds, freshwater reservoirs, slow-moving rivers and streams, canals, and other waterways, as well as various submerged structures such as boat hulls, pilings, chains, rocks, and the shells of other mussels. 

These freshwater mussels are problematic because they attach in dense clusters, clogging pipes and cooling systems. They outcompete native species and alter ecosystems by filtering large quantities of phytoplankton. 

Germany

• Bodensee
• Rothsee (Nürnberg)
• Main-Donau-Kanal
• Donau
• Main
• Rhein
• Mittellandkanal
• Datteln-Hamm-Kanal
• Dortmund-Ems-Kanal
• Elbe-Lübeck-Kanal
• Rhein-Herne-Kanal
• Wesel-Datteln-Kanal

Experts believe that the Quagga mussel lives basically in every water body in Germany which has ship traffic.

Switzerland

• Genfersee
• Bielersee
• Neuenburgersee
• Murtensee
• Aare

Austria

• Most lakes in Carinthia

Ireland

• Shannon’s two great lakes (Ree and Derg)
• Lough Ree
• Shannon river

Canada 

• Great Lakes (Ontario)

• Lake St. Clair 

• St. Lawrence River and its tributaries 

• Lake Winnipeg, Red River, and Nelson River (Manitoba) 

• Lake Memphremagog (Quebec)  

• Saint John River (Wolastoq) Basin in New Brunswick 

USA 

• Great Lakes (Michigan, Ohio, New York, etc.) 

• Mississippi River Basin 

• Interconnected rivers and reservoirs in the Midwest and Northeastern states