{"id":387931,"date":"2026-07-06T14:58:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T14:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/387931\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T14:58:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T14:58:09","slug":"golden-mussels-found-in-sacramento-are-dangerously-close-to-lake-tahoe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/387931\/","title":{"rendered":"Golden mussels found in Sacramento are dangerously close to Lake Tahoe"},"content":{"rendered":"

LAKE TAHOE, Calif.\/Nev. \u2013 The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) confirmed the northermost detection of the invasive golden mussel in late June. The animals were found around the Port of West Sacramento, marking their journey up the golden state\u2014and dangerously close to Lake Tahoe.<\/p>\n

Despite the delicious sounding name, the golden mussel or Limnoperno fortunei is no treasure. The bivalves originate from China but were accidentally introduced to the Americas and were first detected in North America in 2024.<\/p>\n

Like the quagga and zebra mussels, other aquatic invasive species, the freshwater mussel can severely threaten native biodiversity, water quality and destroy water infrastructure. They form dense colonies and can encrust rocks, pipes, boats and piers.<\/p>\n

However, unlike the other invasive mussels, the golden mussel can tolerate a broader ranges of salinity and temperatures.<\/p>\n

Their detection in Sacramento is the northernmost since the discovery of the golden mussel in the Port of Stockton in 2024. The CDFW believes that they are now from a source population within the vicinity of the Port of West Sacramento.<\/p>\n

In the San Joaquin River Delta, the mussel has already colonized key pipes, pumps and gates, driving up infrastructure costs. Stockton city leaders recently declared an emergency when the mussels clogged a drinking water pump station, and Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom announced $6 million of state funding would be going to support maintenance and prevention.<\/p>\n

Golden mussels and other aquatic invasive species are on the docket for state legislators, who will be considering AB1772<\/a>. The bill will help identify funding sources, create a database to inform water managers on contamination and establish a statewide standard for vessel decontamination.<\/p>\n

A decision is likely to be made by August\u2014but Lake Tahoe\u2019s already been seeing boaters on the water, especially with the early spring and warm temperatures.<\/p>\n

\"\"Golden mussels are similar to the quagga and zebra mussels, but can tolerate a wider range of habitats.Provided \/ TRPA<\/p>\n

With the tourist season in full swing, Lake Tahoe\u2019s waterways are some of the most popular to visit\u2014and could be sincerely threatened if the golden mussel were to enter. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) has helped intercept boats with golden mussels attached, once in May of last year and twice in June.<\/p>\n

TRPA\u2019s public information officer Jeff Cowen told the Tribune, \u201cThe report of golden mussels being found in West Sacramento isn\u2019t completely unexpected, as the species was first discovered in a connected waterway. Seeing them closer to Tahoe is concerning, but the watercraft inspection program protocols developed in 2025 are designed to reduce the risk of any new aquatic species being introduced.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like many waterways, Tahoe utilizes the Clean, Drain, Dry program which asks those on the water to inspect their watercraft, kayak, life vests, paddles and anything touched the water every time it is removed from a water body.<\/p>\n

Tahoe also has mandatory inspections and decontaminations for motorized watercraft, and inspectors maintain a list of infested waterways to interview boaters on as part of their assessment.<\/p>\n

Cowen said, \u201cWe work with scientists and partners through the Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinating Committee to regularly evaluate the program and apply new information so that it maximizes protection for Lake Tahoe and the waters of the region, while ensuring everyone can enjoy all that Tahoe offers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Visit TahoeBoatInspections.com<\/a> for inspection information, appointments, and to learn how to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. Program staff can be reached by email to AIS@TRPA.gov<\/a>, or by calling (888) 824-6267.<\/p>\n

You can help\u00a0the CDFW\u00a0monitor the state\u2019s waters for golden mussel by reporting\u00a0organisms suspected to be golden mussel\u00a0to CDFW\u2019s\u202fInvasive Species Program<\/a>. Include the specific location of the observation, at least one clear close-up photograph of the organism\u00a0and\u00a0your contact information.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Submit reports via one of the following options:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024\u201326 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley. Learn more at https:\/\/fellowships.journalism.berkeley.edu\/cafellows\/. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LAKE TAHOE, Calif.\/Nev. \u2013 The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) confirmed the northermost detection of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":387932,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":["post-387931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=387931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387931\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/387932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=387931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=387931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=387931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}