Invasive quagga mussel costs drinking water suppliers millions

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• The invasive quagga mussel can already be found in many Swiss lakes.
• It is spreading rapidly in Lake Zurich and other lakes and is threatening water pipes, among other things.
• The water suppliers on Lake Constance have to invest millions to protect their infrastructure from the mussels.
• The investments could result in a significant increase in the price of water.

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According to the "Tages-Anzeiger", the containment of the quagga mussel causes high costs. Lake waterworks on Lake Zurich and Lake Constance are particularly affected, where expensive cleaning, filtering and replacement measures would be necessary.

The Lake Constance water supply is expecting investments of 4.6 billion euros by 2046, for example, which could result in a tripling of the water price. The special purpose association Seewasserwerk Thalwil, Rüschlikon, Kilchberg, Langnau is planning measures costing up to CHF 1 million.

Fight against invasive species

Quagga mussel forces canton of Zurich to take measures for boötler

There is disagreement as to who should bear these costs: association president Rolf Schatz believes the canton has a duty, while the canton refers to the water suppliers.

Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) take sediment samples from the bottom of Lake Constance to investigate the occurrence and reproduction of quagga mussels. (January 16, 2024)

Picture: Keystone/Gaetan Bally

In Switzerland, researchers identified the genetic material of quagga mussels for the first time in 2014. Two years later, specimens of the mussels were found in Lake Constance for the first time. Within a very short time, the invasive mussels spread to various Swiss lakes. Lake Geneva and Lake Neuchâtel are also affected, for example.