OLYMPIA – State, federal, and tribal governments will come together Oct. 23 at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area for the first boots-on-the-ground exercise in the Columbia River basin to prepare for an infestation of quagga and zebra mussels.
These invasive mussels are small, non-native, freshwater mollusks that have caused significant environmental and economic harm in the United States. They first arrived in the Great Lakes in the 1980s by way of ships’ ballast water from the Caspian and Black Seas. Now, recreational boats are considered the primary cause of mussel spread in the United States.
So far zebra and quagga mussels have not been found in Washington waters, but they have been found on boats transported across state lines. In the past two years alone, more than 50 boats with mussels attached have been intercepted by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
If the invasive mussels take hold in Washington, officials estimate it would cost more than $100 million each year to keep Washington’s power and water infrastructure running, in addition to causing catastrophic ecological damage.