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A floodgate just completed in 2024 that cost $100 million is among the infrastructure clogged with the invasive species, Crowley said. The floodgate will require an expensive removal of the mussels.

The species was likely introduced to California by a ship traveling from an international port, the CDWR spokesperson said. It has also spread to South America, including Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay, according to the CDWF.

Other environmental impacts include loss of native and game fish, according to the CDWR.

The filter feeders eat everything that enters the water, causing huge algae blooms to grow around them, Marrone told ABC News. Oxygen is then depleted, and fish are unable to survive.

Mussels can be treated using chlorine, copper and Zequanox, made from a naturally occurring bacterium that causes the mussels to stop feeding and die, Marrone said. Hot water can also be used, the CDWR spokesperson said.

Researchers are currently conducting laboratory testing of potassium chloride on golden mussel mortality and completing a design for ultraviolet disinfection systems, according to the CDWR.

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