Boat with invasive mussels stopped at Lake P..

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Page, Ariz. • A boat carrying invasive mussels that threaten ecosystems and water and power systems has been intercepted before being launched on Lake Powell.

The National Park Service says the boat had been hauled from Lake Mead on the Arizona-Nevada border, where zebra and quagga mussels are well established. Adult mussels were discovered at Lake Powell's Bullfrog Marina inspection station on Wednesday.

The mussels are not yet established at the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area on the Arizona-Utah border, where mandatory boat inspections are required. Decontaminations are free, but boats found with mussels are quarantined for a month. Sixteen contaminated boats were discovered last year.

The mussels look like small clams and multiply quickly. They can clog pipes and water intakes, and deplete food sources used by fish and other aquatic creatures.

Boat with invasive mussels stopped at Lake Powell