Mobile Decontamination Machine tears into zebra mussels

Oct 10 2011 Carol Thompson 2 Comments

A high-pressure stream of 140-degree water is enough to cook a zebra mussel, not to mention blast it to bits.

Blasting zebra mussels with a stream of hot water is another way to prevent their spread. Photo: acodring (flickr)

With the Mobile Decontamination Machine at its side, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is flexing its arm in the zebra mussel battle. Instead of relying on chemicals, bacteria or toxins covered in fat to manage the invasive species, the department is adopting a physical attack.

Hot water is pumped through boats’ bilge lines to kill and flush out the mussels, which often live in bilge water and the underside of the boats. When boats travel from lake to lake, they can deposit the mussels and spread the invasion.

But not anymore, if more boaters opt to have their boats sprayed with the Mobile Decontamination Machine. Maybe an edgier name, like the Mobile Mussel Destruction Palace would help drum up enthusiasm.

2 Comments »

Harold said:

Most people have known for a long time that zebra mussels (especially their larval form) can be transported within boat bilges and motors. It’s just sad that the Michigan DNR was more concerned about protecting boaters “rights” to free access to some of our waters, instead of working to curtail the spread of zebra mussels. Some parts of the “Holy Waters” of the AuSable River are now contaminated with zebra mussels due to the unwillingness of the DNR to protect them.

Like or Dislike: 1 1

# 10 October 2011 at 10:22 am

Let’s just give up….. « savemnlakes said:

[...] You can buy a lot of time with containment.” An option being tried by the Wisconsin DNR is a mobile decontamination machine that pumps hot water through boats’ bilge lines, killing the zebra [...]

Like or Dislike: 0 0

# 26 October 2011 at 6:18 pm