CONTROLLING THE ZEBRA MUSSEL INVASION

The fight against invasive species is one of the main priorities in terms of Biodiversity. The presence of these species outside their natural setting creates competition for indigenous species and notable distortions in the balance of ecosystems. In some cases, such as the zebra mussel, this can cause significant damage to facilities as well as serious economic damage. 

The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is an invasive foreign species, found in Spain mainly in the River Ebro basin. Its proliferation causes serious environmental, social and economic problems. 

Its great capacity for resistance and reproduction means it is difficult to eliminate, in most cases requiring the use of chemical products with the consequent environmental damage for water quality. 

ACCIONA Infraestructuras has participated in the construction of a system which avoids the entry of the zebra mussel into the irrigation network of a large development in Zaragoza, and which extracts water from the Canal Imperial de Aragón. This installation comprises a sophisticated system of high capacity filters, the efficacy of which has been fully demonstrated in the analyses carried out. 

It is one of the first systems in Spain to halt the entry and expansion of the zebra mussel. The great additional advantage is that the process is entirely physical, avoiding the use of any chemical products. 

To find out more about the zebra mussel:

• Control strategy of zebra mussel Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente
• chcantabrico.es Confederación Hidrográfica del Cantábrico
• Zebra mussel Confederación Hidrográfica del Ebro
• Zebra mussel monitoring Confederación Hidrográfica del Tajo