U.S. Rep Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., is calling for hearings that could result in federal funding for sewers in Lake Havasu City, Bullhead City and Parker.

Lake Havasu City Mayor Mark Nexsen said Grijalva notified members of the Colorado River Regional Sewer Coalition of his intention following a CRRSCo lobbying trip to Washington D.C.

“Since our return, Congressman Grijalva called for the hearings in the House Committee on Natural Resources, to look at nitrates and their impact on the quagga mussel,” Nexsen said. “He was incredibly helpful.”

Nexsen, along with Bullhead City Mayor Jack Hakim, Lake Havasu City staff and representatives from the Metropolitan Water District, which serves Southern California, made the trip to Washington in late June, to impress upon the delegations from Arizona, California and Nevada the need for support to clean the Colorado River.

“Our knuckles are bleeding from knocking on doors and fortunately for us, several of them opened,” said Hakim in a press release. “I feel we were well received and everyone we spoke with agreed the issues are valid and worthy of federal attention. We hope that attention comes in the form of federal funding for our sewer projects that will help protect the quality of the river while keeping costs affordable for our citizens.”

Nexsen and Hakim also met with Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., “who is very understanding of our needs and gave us a lot of her time on a busy day in the Senate,” Nexsen said, as well as senior staff for Rep. Trent Franks and Senators Jon Kyl and John McCain, all R-Ariz.

For more than a decade communities along the Colorado River have tried to enlist federal help when it comes to eliminating septic tanks in place of centralized sewer systems.

With the support of MWD, Central Arizona Project and the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the efforts of CRRSCo are finally being recognized. However, it may be the tiny mussel that gets things moving at a fast clip.

The quagga mussel is small — about 20 millimeters — and with six breeding seasons per year can generate up to a million microscopic larvae in a year. The quagga has no dormant period and feeds all year long, using up food sources for native fish and affecting the natural food chain, often creating an overgrowth of algae.

The quagga mussel also is believed to be the culprit that caused the “dead zone” in Lake Erie, by exuding phosphorus and eliminating oxygen in the water, killing plants and fish.

The quagga mussel has been discovered in Lakes Mead, Mohave and Havasu and has been found in intake pipes for both Metropolitan Water District and Central Arizona Project, both of which draw water from Lake Havasu. It also attaches itself to piers and docks and can attach to a boat that has remained in a single location for a long period of time.

It’s believed that nitrates, such as those that could makes their way to the river from septics emptying into groundwater, could be helping feed the mussel.

In addition to Grijalva’s call for hearings, the House Water and Power Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Calif., has held meetings over the quagga.

And Department of the Interior Deputy Secretary Lynn Scarlett told CRRSCo representatives she will convene a high-level meeting with all the relevant federal agencies involved, including EPA, Department of Agriculture, Health & Human Services and others, to look at the situation holistically and present multiple solutions for funding CRRSCo needs.

You may contact the reporter at dbell@havasunews.com