The local media has been all over the depressing levels of area lakes from a weather angle. They aren't even excited about the Zebra muscle threat by running stories a couple of times and then not being well educated in the problem at hand. Zebra muscles arrived in the ballast tanks of international ships that bring goods to this country, particularly in the Great Lakes. While ships are tied to the docks and cargo is being unloaded, the ballast tanks are blown out into the fresh water of any of the five Great Lakes where they are docked. Zebra muscles are non-native species and thrive in the conditions of the lakes.
Spreading quickly, zebras soon were clogging Great Lakes water-intakes and spread by boaters that do not wash off their boats completely before putting their boats back into another lake. Well, zebras have made their way to North Texas and just in a few years have spread from Lake Texoma to neighboring lakes. While Zebras are no laughing matter, combined with the drought and dropping levels in the water supply, The concern should be more of a concern for the media than it has been the past couple of years.
I've lived through the infestation of Zebras in a metropolis that got their drinking water from the Great Lakes. It isn't a pretty sight. Yesterday, I went in search of visible low lake levels and I found them. I didn't see a single boater washing down their boats after pulling them from the lake. Check out these pictures.
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| The Marinas have actually trapped boats in their slips where the boats cannot get out. |
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| The boat ramp is so low, the boats are being loaded and discharged a full truck-length farther down the ramp. |
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| On the Rockwall side of Lake Ray Hubbard, the water marks on the wall measures a full 7-feet down to the current water levels. |
