Zebra mussels are collapsing structures and pipes in Spain's Ebro River since 2001 with a population of 40,000 per square meter

In northeastern Spain, the spread of zebra mussels continues to baffle water management experts, keeping them on alert over the damage to water infrastructure caused by these invasive species. Their presence in reservoirs, irrigation canals and water distribution networks has begun to disrupt water supplies, especially in Catalonia's Lleida province, as per a report by Diario AS. According to specialists who have been tracking the spread of the species for more than two decades, long-term structural measures need to be deployed in order to curb their advance further.An unchecked expansionIt first arrived in Spain in 2001 when they were discovered in the Ribarroja Reservoir along the Ebro River. Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) are a freshwater bivalve native to the Ponto-Caspian region that has spread across much of Europe and North America. It first arrived in Spain in 2001 when they were discovered in the Ribarroja Reservoir along the Ebro River. Genetic studies indicate they originated from France, crossing the Pyrenees barrier via recreational boat hulls or live fish transport.It is their extraordinary reproductive capacity that allows them to colonise aquatic systems at re...