Tessie, Quagga Mussels, and Other Lake Tahoe Myths

Well before quagga mussels were found in southern Nevada's Lake Mead in 2007, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and other federal agencies had prepared protective measures in case the mussels were detected in the West. Without examining the biological requirements of quagga mussels, the TRPA overlooked dozens of scientific studies that showed quagga can't reproduce and survive in Lake Tahoe and implemented the nation's most aggressive watercraft inspection program. As water quality studies increasingly demonstrated that quagga can't survive in high Sierra lakes and reservoirs, the TRPA and their scientific partners expanded the list of aquatic invasive species that could potentially infest Lake Tahoe. However no reputable studies have demonstrated that New Zealand mud snails, spiny water fleas, or hydrilla - the organisms that TRPA says boat inspections protect Lake Tahoe from - can live in the lake either.