The pumping system allows water to move between Sucker Lake and Snail Lake while filtering out zebra mussels or their larvae.
The pump and filtration system screens out both the adult zebra mussels as well as their spawn larvae with a 40 micron filter. The filter also improves the quality of water flowing from Sucker Lake and into Snail Lake.
Short Elliott Hendrickson project engineer Lindesy Roberts-McKenzie said that the system was designed, in part, to respond to the zebra mussel’s biology. “Zebra mussels remain dormant when the water temperature is below 50 degrees Farenheit,” said Roberts-McKenzie. “The system operates only when conditions would trigger the mussels to become active.”