Hydro to step up zebra mussel monitoring

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This article was published 30/01/2025 (338 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Hydro has started to research how its Brandon plant may be impacted by zebra mussels in the future, following a discovery in December of dead larvae in the Assiniboine River.

The province’s electric and natural gas utility told the Sun on Wednesday it is reviewing its assets that may be at risk at the Brandon Generating Station. It also plans to increase its monitoring next season and to research treatment options that may be required over the coming months.

“With (hydro) facilities using raw water for multiple purposes in the production of electricity, zebra mussels entering our facilities can pose threats to the way we generate power,” wrote media relations officer Peter Chura in an email to the Sun. “They settle internally and disrupt our assets from functioning as designed.”

Chura told the Sun the utility may employ a process based on learnings from other locations, where it uses chlorine to kill zebra mussels that become too densely populated. The procedure spans about 10 to 14 days when needed in the summer months.

The plans at the Brandon Generating Station have been announced in the wake of zebra mussels establishing a foothold upstream. On Tuesday, Parks Canada announced it was no longer feasible to try to eradicate the zebra mussels found in Clear Lake last summer. The lake connects to the Little Saskatchewan River and down south to the Assiniboine River.

Barry McPhail, a member of Friends of Lake Minnedosa, shared a similar view on the issue of zebra mussels contaminating water bodies in Westman. In a phone interview on Wednesday, McPhail told the Sun he expected the mussels to win the battle with Parks Canada.

“They’re in Lake Manitoba. They’re in Lake Winnipeg,” said McPhail. “It’s Mother Nature. She’s moving this invasive species, and it’s coming our way, whether we like it or not. Nobody did a more valiant effort than the national park to try and curb them from coming in. And despite all of that, the mussels still got in there.”

McPhail said he expects the mussels to be found in Lake Minnedosa at some point. He suggested that the better option would be to have an advance plan in place for when that happens, as is the case with Manitoba Hydro.

In light of this week’s news from Clear Lake, where the lake will be opened to boats again this summer, the Province of Manitoba wrote it will continue to address invasive species through a partnership with other stakeholders in Manitoba.

A government spokesperson from Manitoba Finance told the Sun via email on Wednesday that the key to stopping the spread of invasive species is prevention. The spokesperson also pointed to the addition of two watercraft inspection stations last year, and an increase of $500,000 to programming against aquatic invasive species.

The spokesperson emphasized that it is a collaborative effort among multiple levels of government.

Riding Mountain MLA Greg Nesbitt welcomed the announcement to reopen Clear Lake to boats. In an emailed statement to the Sun on Wednesday, Nesbitt wrote that businesses, cottagers and visitors are happy with the news.

“Economic and tourist activity definitely took a hit last summer,” said Nesbitt. “Any effort to restore safe activity and use of the lake should be explored.”

Last year, Karly McRae, chair of the local destination enrichment organization, Clear Lake Country, said the lake was hosting concerts as a way to revitalize tourism. Boating on the lake is a big draw, and the community was feeling the impact of the boating ban that Parks Canada implemented while it tried to eradicate the zebra mussels.

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com