Zebra mussels are here to stay so instead of trying to eliminate the invasive species, Austin is trying to manage the stinky smell and taste the mussels add to the city's water.
Austin Water will use liquid copper sulfate pentahydrate to stop zebra mussels from sticking to the utility's water pipes.
The chemical is toxic to the mussels and other aquatic life so the utility is adding it only to its pipes that pull water from reservoirs and transports it to water treatment facilities.
“Because this chemical is going to be used at the intake — so very, very close to the lake — we’re working with them to make sure that it doesn't get into the lake,” Liz Johnston with city’s Watershed Protection Department told KUT earlier this year.
The funky taste and smell in the water is caused by zebra mussels dying off.
"We no longer have zebra mussels in our raw water piping. So, last time we had a zebra mussel die off and that created some of the taste and odor issues for some of our customers, and by getting them out of our raw water pipe we eliminate that risk," said Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros told Fox 7.
Divers will also check the pipes annual to clear out any remaining mussels and "rovers with cameras” will be used to get to places that divers can't, KXAN reported.
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