Zebra Mussel
Dreissena polymorpha

  • Problems caused by zebra mussels include:

    • clogging municipal, industrial and power plant water supply systems;
    • causing taste and odor problems in drinking water;
    • damaging boat engines and fouling boat hulls;
    • killing native mollusks, disrupting aquatic food chains and eliminating fish spawning beds;
    • creating foul-smelling eyesores at beaches and other recreational areas.
       
  • While zebra mussels have not yet been found in South Carolina, they occur nearby (near Knoxville, Tennessee) and in these other states: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.  More information about their occurrence and distribution may be found here: National Atlas Zebra Mussel Information
  • The South Carolina Zebra Mussel Task Force, co-chaired by South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and South Carolina Sea Grant is striving to increase public awareness of the zebra mussel, prevent zebra mussel introduction, provide technical information on zebra mussel biology and control to water suppliers and water uses, and monitor sites throughout the State for early detection of zebra mussels.

Related Items:

The Zebra Mussel Threat
Click here to report a possible occurrence
of Zebra Mussels in South Carolina
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