Central Arizona Project uses EarthTec QZ to prevent quagga mussels from settling in key pumping plant

The Central Arizona Project (CAP) manages 336 miles of aqueduct and more than 40,000 acres of land. Microscopic quagga mussel larvae called veligers were observed in plankton samples from the CAP aqueduct in 2008. Since then, adult quagga mussels have spread throughout the system.

Eradicating quagga mussels from the entire 336-mile aqueduct would be expensive and impractical. Instead, CAP installed a chemical feed system to dose EarthTec® QZ at the Mark Wilmer Pumping Plant (MWP). The feed system is designed to prevent quagga mussels from settling in the plant’s cooling units.

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Prior to the installation of EarthTec QZ, the cooling units required manual cleanout to remove settled quagga mussels that could restrict flow and cause the equipment to overheat. This meant costly downtime and additional labor to clean the units. The new system solves these problems by preventing quagga mussel settlement in the first place.

The measures CAP has taken to control invasive species and prevent quagga mussels from infesting key infrastructure are reported in the 2019 CAP Biology Annual Report below.