1. About $3.4 million in non-labor golden mussel costs is included in the canal budget Golden mussels in the lower reaches of the Friant-Kern Canal are prompting a major response. The FY 2027 operations, maintenance, and replacement (OM&R) budget includes $3,433,623 in non-labor costs for proposed chemical treatment, consulting, monitoring, permitting, and related work, plus $62,229 in project labor. About $3 million is budgeted for chemical treatment; staff has not selected an applicator. Staff described the effort as a reset intended to sharply reduce the established infestation, not a guarantee of eradication. Staff expects future Friant-Kern Canal OM&R budget requests for golden mussel response to be much lower and is developing a plan under which districts introducing exposed water through the Cross Valley Canal would cover associated treatment costs. Some program-wide coordination and monitoring costs are expected to continue.
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