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Balog, George G., Director of Public Works, City of Baltimore, Terry
F. Neimeyer, KCI Technologies, Inc., Linda S. Davis, Bureau of Water and
Waste Water, City of Baltimore, A. Amarjit Sokhey, Facilities Engineering
Division, City of Baltimore, David E. Scott, Water Facilities Engineering
Section, Oscar Custodio, Water Facilities Engineering Section, City of
Baltimore, 1995. Baltimore City Adopts a Proactive Approach to Zebra
Mussel Control Using Potassium Permanganate
Proceedings of The Fifth International Zebra Mussel and Other Aquatic Nuisance
Organisms Conference, Toronto, Canada, February 1995
Baltimore City Adopts a Proactive Approach to Zebra Mussel Control
Using Potassium Permanganate
Abstract
When the zebra mussel began appearing in the Great Lakes in the mid-1980s, few
municipalities realized the significant threat the tenacious intruder posed, or devoted
the resources necessary to control the fresh water bivalves, which multiply at exponential
rates. Unfortunately for the operators of municipal water systems on the Great Lakes, the
mussels quickly clogged intake gratings, valves and pipes, and fouled the water supply and
fire protection systems, causing critical water shortages and prompting costly emergency
appropriations to remove the mollusks.
In 1992, the Baltimore City Department of Public Works initiated aggressive, proactive
measures to guard against the infiltration of zebra mussels into local reservoirs and
river supplies, which provide raw and finished water to more than 1.6 million people in
the City and five neighboring counties. After months of detailed study and planning,
Baltimore City appropriated $3.66 million in July 1994 to construct zebra mussel control
facilities. Three of the structures will house units that inject controlled doses of
potassium permanganate into water intake pipes located in the Liberty and Loch Raven
reservoirs and the Susquehanna River. In the event the zebra mussel makes its way into
Maryland waters, the chemical would create a hostile environment for the mollusk
preventing the mussels' colonization in the more than 20 miles of water tunnels that lead
to area filtration plants. Though chlorine is a preferred chemical for control in other
municipalities, studies indicate that chlorine by-products, known as trihalomethanes,
would near or exceed future Environmental Protection Agency standards (a maximum of 80
parts per billion) for drinking water. Consequently it was decided to use potassium
permanganate as the primary control chemical, with chlorine as an emergency backup. In
addition, the City plans to construct a thermal control system at the Prettyboy reservoir
intake to control the mussel threat without harming the thriving trout population found
downstream from the dam.
Baltimore city officials have also spearheaded a program using innovative posters to
heighten public awareness to the potential harm that can result from the careless
transportation of zebra mussels from infested to uninhabited waters. The City's actions
have helped ensure protected waters for Maryland residents and reduced the need for
additional public spending to defend against the stealthy intruder.
Entire Paper
Keywords: Chemical_control, Industry , Zebra_mussel
Product Type: Publication, Proceedings
User Type: Industrial_and_Municipal
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