Golden mussels (Limnoperna fortunei) are no longer a distant or theoretical threat. Since their detection in 2024, these highly invasive mussels have moved through California’s interconnected water systems that support millions of residents and vast agricultural regions. For water agencies, the implications extend beyond invasive species management. Golden mussels introduce a new layer of infrastructure
The Friant Water Authority (FWA) has approved a contract to work with Dudek on a comprehensive golden mussel response plan to address the growing infestation in the Friant‑Kern Canal, an effort highlighted in The Porterville Recorder. Golden mussels reproduce rapidly and attach to canal walls, pipelines, pumps, and screens. Unmanaged, they can impair or obstruct recaptured water systems. Addressing the Threat from Vulnerability Assessment through Engineering Design
The discovery of golden mussels in California has introduced a new and urgent challenge for water managers across the state. First detected in 2024 and now confirmed in multiple locations within the California Department of Water Resources’ State Water Project, the invasive freshwater species poses risks to the infrastructure that delivers water to farms, cities, and communities. Dudek Biologist and bivalve
Perhaps inspiring Murphy’s later pronouncement, mathematician Augustus De Morgan said, “Whatever can happen, will happen if we make trials enough.” At some point, your flood infrastructure will be tested by a storm event equal to or larger than the event it was designed to withstand. The chance in any given year that a storm occurs
The average wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the U.S. is 40 to 50 years old and many of these aging facilities need upgrades. Federal funding programs are an option to complete a planned wastewater treatment plant upgrade. However, access to those funds comes with a caveat. To ensure climate resiliency and protect against flooding, the
Permitting pipeline projects in extremely congested or environmentally sensitive areas can be burdensome from a schedule and financial standpoint. Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) construction methods can minimize surface disruption and often avoid impacts altogether. In this way, HDD offers great potential to reduce a project’s schedule and budget. Process and Benefits The HDD process includes
Owners of California dams classified as “extremely high hazard” need to submit updated Emergency Action Plans (EAP) to the state by January 1, 2018 under new dam safety regulations the state legislature passed earlier this year in response to the Oroville Dam spillway crisis. The looming EAP deadline is complicated by the new law’s requirement
Cities in the Coachella Valley have a history of dealing with damaging summer flash floods. Intense thunderstorms can dump several inches of rain in a short time while runoff rushes from the nearby San Jacinto Mountains into the lowland flats where the cities are built. The City of La Quinta suffered back-to-back damaging summer storms
Many cities whose sewer systems were constructed in the first half of the 20th century are plagued by sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) due to long-neglected root intrusion and pipe defects. To combat this, sewers can be rehabilitated using trenchless cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining. This method can fully rehabilitate aging pipes at least three times faster and
Water is Earth’s most critical fluid in environmental processes and human life. When discussing stormwater management it is important to distinguish between hydrology and hydraulics. Some aspects of hydrology involve hydraulics but, in general, the two are very different. Here’s how to understand these differences. What is hydrology? Hydrology is the study of the circulation
