The Friant-Kern Canal is an irrigation canal and part of the Central Valley Project aqueduct. 

An invasive species rapidly spreading through California’s waterways has made its way into one of the state’s most vital aqueducts less than two years after it was first discovered in North America. 

Data from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirms that golden mussels, an invasive species of mollusk known to wreak havoc on water infrastructure and aquatic habitats, were detected in the Friant-Kern Canal south of Delano on Jan. 13. The canal is a 152-mile-long, gravity-fed aqueduct that transports water from the San Joaquin River to farmland and millions of residents throughout Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties. 

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Golden mussels made their first known North American appearance in 2024, when they were found in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta’s Port of Stockton. The mussels have since made their way into several Californian........

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