{"id":29383,"date":"2013-07-02T14:13:57","date_gmt":"2013-07-02T19:13:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/?p=29383"},"modified":"2013-07-02T14:28:03","modified_gmt":"2013-07-02T19:28:03","slug":"lake-invaders-zebra-mussels-continue-to-spread-in-north-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/2013\/07\/02\/lake-invaders-zebra-mussels-continue-to-spread-in-north-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"Lake Invaders: Zebra Mussels Continue to Spread in North Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Zebra<\/a>

<\/p>

Zebra mussels cluster on the outside of a pipe<\/p><\/div>\n

Before last week, the only positive thing about zebra mussels in Texas was that they lived in just two of the state’s lakes.<\/p>\n

But even that\u2019s not the case anymore.<\/p>\n

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) released an emergency order<\/a> yesterday which enacted special regulations for three new North Texas lakes to control zebra mussels.<\/p>\n

Now, boaters that enter Lake Bridgeport<\/a>, Eagle Mountain Lake<\/a>, and Lake Worth<\/a> must completely drain and dry their boats before entering another body of water. The mandate is designed to stop the spread of zebra mussel larvae, which are invisible to the naked eye and can cling to wet surfaces.<\/p>\n

Lake Bridgeport joins Lake Texoma<\/a>, Lake Ray Roberts,<\/a> and Lewisville Lake<\/a> on the growing list of lakes that zebra mussels have infested. Although a zebra mussel population has not yet been found in Eagle Mountain Lake or Lake Worth, they were added to the order because they are connected to Lake Bridgeport by the Trinity River.<\/p>\n

The map below shows the six lakes which either currently contain zebra mussels or are directly threatened by them. The red pins show lakes that have been infested, and the yellow pins are lakes that are most at risk for infestation.<\/p>\n