SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — An invasive mussel that has taken up residence in Lake Powell on the Colorado River is threatening Utah's push to develop a $1.8 billion pipeline to deliver water to fast-growing areas.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported Friday that the Army Corps of Engineers has asked the state provide a plan on how it will prevent the pipeline from transporting quagga mussels from the lake on the Arizona-Utah border.
The 140-mile (225-kilometer) pipeline aims to transport water to Washington and Kane counties in southern Utah. The project requires a permit from the Corps.
The Corps has given the state until July 13 to produce a plan that addresses the mussel problem and a dozen other issues.
The state has not yet finalized a plan.
Quagga mussels were first discovered in the U.S. in the Great Lakes region in the 1980's, attaching to boats and eventually making their way to other waters, including Lake Powell. Thousands upon thousands have been found there attached to boats, canyon walls and other structures.
