Lake Waco Outreach and Response Plan
Agency: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Location: Texas
Treatment Type: Physical
Treatment Method Used: Oxygen Deprivation
Zebra mussels were detected in Lake Waco in 2014 on private boat ramps. Plastic tarps (Polyvinylchloride) were applied on the lakebed in October 2014. Plastic tarps were installed for 4 months to create anoxic conditions and to suffocate zebra mussels by depriving them from oxygen. Follow up surveys in 2015 indicated that some specimens had survived on submerged rocks, but no new mussel veligers or new settlements have been observed.
Partner Agencies:
The City of Waco, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baylor University
Contact:
Brian VanZee, Texas Parks and Wildlife