Volunteer Monitoring for Zebra Mussels
Economic Impacts
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•Utilities
–Large-volume water users: $360,000/year
–Small cities: $20,000/year
–Nuclear power plants: average $825,000 in added expenses (and up to $2 million)
Zebra mussels affect industries and cities that draw water from the Great Lakes. Although utilities can control zebra mussels using several different techniques, doing so has a high price tag. The cost is passed along to customers and taxpayers, of course.
For example, from 1989 to 1994, zebra mussel control costs for industries and municipalities around the Great Lakes were an estimated $120 million. An individual, medium-size city can spend $360,000 dollars a year, a smaller city $20,000, and a nuclear power plant up to $2 million annually.