The board approved a $500,000 increase to the Cross Valley Canal (CVC) Operations & Maintenance budget to fund a vulnerability assessment and long-term treatment plan by consultant Dudek. The motion passed with one "No" vote. Golden mussels have spread rapidly throughout CVC pools 1–8, and staff are currently dewatering pools 1–6 for manual removal. Director Wulff noted that the problem may be more complex than initially understood — a recent Chinese research paper suggests that chemical treatment causing mussel die-off can produce secondary pathogens (including cholera-related bacteria) in the water as organisms decompose. Local water districts are already spending upwards of $1 million individually on mussel-related infrastructure, and the agency is tracking all costs across funds. This issue will likely drive increased costs in coming years.
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