Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 790, authored by State Senator Mike McGuire that will allow any person or entity that manages any aspect of the water in a reservoir where recreational, boating, or fishing activities are permitted, such as the Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) to apply for and receive grant funding to prevent the spread of invasive quagga and zebra mussels. Local legislators also supported the bill including Assembly Member Marc Levine.

Quagga and Zebra mussels are two species of non-native freshwater mussels from Eurasia that can disrupt the ecological balance of waterbodies and reduce their recreational value, and impede distribution of water supply systems by encrusting water intakes, pipes, and other structures. To minimize further impacts to the State it is important to prevent them from being spread.

The signing of SB 790 into law was in response to a recent positive mussel detection on a boat trying to enter Lake Mendocino. Before entering Lake Mendocino, a specially trained dog detected quagga mussels on the boat’s engine. The boat was not allowed to enter the waterway and was decontaminated. The close call drew immediate attention from regional water resource managers and local legislators to increase mussel prevention funding and programming. Prior to the SB 790, local water managers, such as Sonoma Water, were not allowed to receive state mussel prevention dollars if the facility was not completely owned by the local water manager. SB 790 now allows the local sponsoring agencies of any waterway, such as Sonoma Water, to apply for and receive the highly sought-after state mussel prevention funds. These grants will help water managers develop prevention programs, implement programs, or expand upon an existing program.