The hunt for invasive quagga and zebra mussels will extend beyond Lake Tahoe to other regional lakes and reservoirs to protect waters in the Sierra Nevada, officials said.
The Tahoe Resource Conservation District is expanding a boat inspection effort to include Donner and Independence lakes, and Boca, Stampede and Prosser Creek reservoirs.
Officials say the preventative move was prompted by the spread of quagga mussels in the Lake Mead reservoir in southern Nevada and of zebra mussels in a Northern California reservoir southeast of San Francisco.
"What we're hoping to do is take our experience and establish a program for the lower Truckee River watershed," said Kim Boyd, invasive species program manager for the Tahoe Resource Conservation District that has led the 2-year-old boat inspection effort in the Tahoe Basin.
No quagga or zebra mussels have been found in Lake Tahoe or any other area lakes or reservoirs.
But if they become established within Lake Tahoe or elsewhere in the area, they could massively disrupt aquatic ecosystems.
One federal study says a mussel infestation could cost Tahoe's economy $22 million annual in lost tourism and property tax revenue.
The new program is being funded with more than $231,000 from the Truckee Meadows Water Authority's Truckee River Fund, money collected from utility bills to pay for projects and protect the river.
