Impacts
Damage commercial and recreational equipment
Invasive species have the potential to cause significant damage to recreational and commercial equipment.
- Non-native plants such as hydrilla and water hyacinth can clog water intakes on motors and
thereby overheat and ruin boat engines.
- Zebra mussels can also clog industrial water intakes and have the potential to attach
themselves to the prop and all areas of the motor, thereby either affecting the performance of
the engine and or actually jamming steering equipment. Industrial water users and businesses
such as public utilities, power plants, municipal drinking water facilities and manufacturing
industries all need a constant supply of water.
The bottom line is that as zebra mussels and other harmful nonnative species spread to inland
lakes and rivers across North America, like the Mississippi River Basin and Lake Champlain, so
do the costs to various water users.