Invasive mussels pose a serious operational threat. Zebra and Quagga mussels can clog pipes, restrict flow, damage equipment, and increase maintenance cost. ONG’s Fortress Mussel Control Systems Copper Ion Generator featuring Cu Dose Technology are an important tool in keeping water transmission lines free of pesky mussels.
Fortress Mussel Control System is an industrial-grade electrochemical systems expressly engineered for preventing invasive mussel infestations in raw water systems. The system uses controlled copper ion-based dosing to inhibit mussels at multiple life stages from attaching to surfaces and colonizing water conveyance systems.
Rather than relying on high, short-term chemical shocks indiscriminately applied lake-wide, Fortress Mussel Control Systems copper ion generator focuses on precise, continuous low dosing (ppb range) of positively charged ions injected inside the transmission lines.
Some important advantages of this approach are:
Variability in raw water conditions is well known to create challenges in water treatment, particularly in municipal drinking water plants. Fortress Mussel Control Systems Copper ion generators feature ONG's patented Cu Dose Technology that accounts for variability of raw water to introduce and maintain a consistent low-dose of copper ions even in varying water conditions. As a result, effective treatment is sustainably achieved at lower copper ion doses.
Copper Dose Technology focuses on four core benefits:
Simply put, Fortress Mussel Control Systems Cu Dose Technology is superior because dosing is carefully managed; facilities avoid over-treatment while still effectively preventing mussel settlement
Fortress Mussel Control Systems Copper ion generators electrochemically produce ions that disrupts essential biological processes in mussels, particularly during their veliger stage. By preventing attachment early, Fortress Mussel Control Systems copper ion generators stop colonization before it begins.
Key advantages include:
Unlike mechanical scraping or reactive treatments, copper dosing is proactive, helping prevent the issue before it affects the system.
One of the biggest mistakes facilities make when dealing with invasive mussels is not acting fast enough. For every mussel that is found a facility should assume there are a million yet to be found. This is assumption is informed by the fact that mussels are prolific breeders, water conveyance infrastructure is hard to inspect, and many water sources provide a perfect environment for proliferation. By the time mussel shells are showing up at the plant, pipes are restricted, pumps are underperforming, or intake screens are coated in shells, the infestation has already matured, and costs are already climbing.
While preventative dosing requires upfront planning and installation, it often proves more economical than recurring remediation efforts. Reactive cleaning cycles may seem manageable at first, but costs can quickly escalate due to equipment malfunction or shutdown. Each response cycle disrupts operations, strains maintenance teams, and increases overall operating costs. Worse, it does nothing to stop the next wave of veligers from re-entering the system.
Invasive mussels aren’t going away, and waiting until pipes are clogged is not a sustainable strategy.
Fortress Mussel Control Systems copper ion generators with patented Cu Dose Technology offers a proactive, proven approach to protecting infrastructure, reducing maintenance costs, and keeping raw water systems running efficiently.
If your facility draws from a river, a lake or reservoir, implementing a preventive mussel control strategy today could save high operational costs tomorrow.
Learn more about FMC and Cu Dose Technology on our “How it Works” page. There, we explore the simplicity and necessity of effective mussel control.
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