TWIN FALLS, Idaho — On October 3, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) will begin its eradication process of invasive quagga mussels in the Snake River.
The treatment will take place between Twin Falls Dam and Centennial Park. ISDA now plans to use a molluscicide to kill them before they spread.
“We are very hopeful that the plan that we have in effect now is catching these early enough that our treatment will be successful, and our surveys tell us that this is a very limited infestation,” said Lloyd Knight, deputy director with ISDA.
The product being used to kill the species is Natrix, which is an EPA-approved chelated copper treatment. The process will be split up into two 96-hour periods where it will be released in the Snake River. It will kill parts of the ecosystem in the treated area but the plants and fish are expected to bounce back when treatment is complete.
"Every day that the Quagga mussels are in the river is another day for them to try to establish a population, so we are working in this very very narrow window to try to take care of the population that we know is there," said Chanel Tewalt, director of ISDA.
The freshwater mollusks were detected on September 18 by ISDA which prompted local and state officials to close parts of the Columbia River basin to the public.
ISDA is trying to avoid a total takeover by the quagga mussel like in other places in the U.S. The Great Lakes were the first to see the invasive species introduced. The Colorado River basin also has the same infestation and spends hundreds of millions on mitigation efforts every year.
The presence of the mussel has already closed recreation in the area but if it were to be allowed to reproduce, it would damage the ecosystem and cost hundreds of millions in damages to systems like dams, hydropower, irrigation and others.
