FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. — Alarm bells are ringing across California’s agricultural heartland after state officials confirmed that golden mussels — a destructive invasive species — have been detected in the Friant-Kern Canal, one of the state’s most critical water delivery systems.
According to data released by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, golden mussels (Limnoperna fortunei) were identified in the canal south of Delano on January 13. The Friant-Kern Canal is a 152-mile gravity-fed aqueduct that transports water from the San Joaquin River to farms and communities throughout Fresno, Tulare, and Kern counties.
For a region that depends on precise water delivery to sustain billions of dollars in agriculture, the implications are immediate — and potentially severe.
But beyond infrastructure concerns, another question is quietly surfacing: how did they get there?
A Rapid and Troubling Spread
Golden mussels are native to Asia and were first detected in North America less than two years ago. They reproduce rapidly, attach to hard surfaces in dense clusters, and can clog pipes, pumps, and intake valves. Their presence in the Friant-Kern Canal marks a troubling expansion into California’s engineered water infrastructure.
Unlike natural lakes or rivers, canals are controlled systems. Their appearance in a major aqueduct raises questions about transport pathways — including contaminated boats, equipment, ballast water transfer, or interconnected reservoirs.
The Friant-Kern Canal itself is part of California’s broader state and federal water network, intertwined with systems connected to the California State Water Project and federal reclamation facilities.
Golden mussels are not merely ecological nuisances. In South America and Asia, they have caused tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure damage by obstructing municipal and agricultural water systems.
In California — where drought cycles, water politics, and agricultural economics are already in tension — this development adds another destabilizing variable.
Infrastructure at Risk
Water infrastructure is uniquely vulnerable to biofouling species. Mussels can:
