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The East Bay Regional Park District has enacted a 30-day quarantine for boats that launch at Lake Del Valle after highly invasive golden mussels were detected in the reservoir in Livermore, the agency announced Monday.
This specific species of bivalve mollusks have been contaminating other bodies of water across the state in the last two years, which is why the park district wants to contain the spread through the quarantine.
“Golden mussels are similar to quagga (Dreissena bugensis) and zebra (Dreissena polymorpha) mussels but can thrive in water with much lower calcium levels, putting local water sources and aquatic ecosystems at greater risk of invasion,” EBRPD said in a press release Monday.
These mussels, according to the park district, are a species native to rivers and creeks in coastal Asia and parts of South America. But despite its seemingly innocuous name, the species can cause quite a number of problems.
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the spread of golden mussels could lead to a number of environmental, recreational and economic impacts, including the loss of native and game fish, waterbody closures, increased launch or entry fees, costly boat repairs and a reduced number of fish or shellfish for consumption.
“Mussels can quickly contaminate the waterways and can rapidly spread,” EBRPD stated in its press release. “Golden mussels can attach to nearly any underwater surface, including boats, ropes, buoys and aquatic plants that become entangled on anchors and trailers.”
They could also impact water delivery to homes and flood control by choking off water supplies and damaging structures like dams or power plants.
So, when the invasive species first appeared in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta back in October 2024, it set off several alarms at agencies across the state, including the EBRPD.
“According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the mussels are believed to have been introduced by a ship traveling from an international port,” EBRPD stated in its press release.
One of the last actions the park district took to prevent the spread of these mussels was when it transitioned to lake-specific, color-coded bands in May 2025 as part of a change to its boat inspection and banding policies.
Despite the inspection requirement update, the mussels seem to have made their way to Livermore. It is now the second reservoir within the EBRPD that has detected these mussels.
“Until this week, Contra Loma in Antioch was the only Park District waterbody where golden mussels had been detected,” the park district stated. “Boaters who launch at Contra Loma have been under the same quarantine rules that are now being implemented at Del Valle.”
According to EBRPD, any boats that launch at Lake Del Valle will be “subject to a 30-day quarantine before their watercraft may be permitted at any other waterbody managed by the Park District.”
“Boats that launch exclusively at Lake Del Valle and return with an intact Del Valle boat band will not be subject to the quarantine,” the park district stated in its press release. “Other agencies that manage waterbodies elsewhere in the Bay Area and beyond may impose their own quarantine requirements, so boaters should check the websites of respective managing agencies for current rules.”
Boats and other water crafts without a park district boat band will also be subject to inspections for the presence of mussels.
As for what people should do to help limit the spread of these golden mussels, EBRPD said the best thing they can do is remember to “clean, drain and dry”.
“Inspect your watercraft, kayak, life vests, paddles, and anything else that touched the water every time it is removed from a waterbody,” the park district stated. “Remove all debris, animals, and plants, and dispose of them in the trash. Drain all water from ballasts, bilges, and live wells. Finally, allow all equipment to dry completely before entering another waterbody.”
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