by Benjamin Chase
of the Plainsman
HURON –– Steven Charron, President of the South Dakota Lakes and Streams Association, spoke to the Beadle County Republican Women about the concerning issue of zebra mussels on Thursday at Ryan’s Hangar.
Charron handed out materials explaining the history of the zebra mussel in the state. He opened his talk by explaining how he got involved with the Lakes and Streams group, explaining that he has a cabin on Lake Enemy Swim in the northeastern part of the state, and that is one of 32 waterways infected with zebra mussels.
Charron explained how zebra mussels work, stating that they leave water extremely clean, which can make folks happy with water quality initially, but the mussels reproduce so quickly, and the offspring are clear to the naked eye, so they quickly overrun a lake, and the water becomes too clear.
Charron explained that a big concern is that fish begin looking for food that they normally can find near the surface. That same food closer to the bottom is higher in mercury, and that means many of the fish caught in lakes infected with zebra mussels can have high levels of mercury, which can have very negative effects on women in child-bearing age, potentially endangering children.
Because of the growing infestation across the state, Charron’s group self-funded a $100,000 study on the spread of the mussels in the state. While doing that study, Charron had the opportunity to speak with farmers who are now having irrigation units plugged by the mussels traveling into irrigation lines that are connected infested waterways.
Those irrigation systems are simply a preface to what will happen to many municipalities as the muscles get into water supplies out of infested waterways.
Charron did name the James River as one of the infested waterways that had been confirmed, but he stated that the nature of the James could allow for Huron area farmers to potentially have some time before the infestation works its way down the river from the north.
“The James is a mud-bottom river,” Charron explained. “The zebra mussels need the rocks to clean, so a mud bottom is less desirable in general for them. Plus, the river is slow-moving, so they aren’t going to spread down the river the way they might in other spots in the state.”
While that could potentially protect farmers utilizing the James River to irrigate for now, coming slow doesn’t mean that they aren’t coming eventually.
That is why Charron was part of designing House Bill 1157 with Distrist 22 Representative Kevin Van Diepen as one of the primary sponsors on the bill. The bill sought to establish a task force through the state to study the zebra muscles and to determine a plan moving forward to combat the spread.
Unfortunately, Charron’s experience in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources committee in Pierre did not go well, as the committee voted down the bill, 9-4, and then voted to send the bill to the 41st day, essentially making it next to impossible to revive the bill on the floor out of committee.
Despite the “loss” in the legislature, Charron stated that he will continue to speak to groups like BCRW to encourage education on zebra mussels in hopes to have the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks to make the mussels an emphasis.
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