Drought is bad, but so is risking the health of our waterways.
In 2009, zebra mussels were found to be present in the waters of Lake Texoma. They are a dangerously destructive invasive species that can potentially destroy a lake through massive ecological upset, in addition to causing millions of dollars in damage. Zebra mussels are a great ecological concern in the Great Lakes and other water bodies throughout North America, and extreme care is taken to try to prevent their spread to other waterways, such as chlorinating the water at point of removal to kill any larvae present.
This year, water is again being pumped from Lake Texoma to surrounding reservoirs. Before pumping, the only safeguard is water sampling at the intake to check for the presence of larvae. This is not acceptable.