Corps seeks input on mussel plan
The U.S. Army Corps plans to use ultraviolet B radiation to eradicate invasive mussels if they are detected in the Columbia River Basin. (Photo courtesy TAHOE RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT)
(Photo courtesy TAHOE RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT) A daylight shot of an ultraviolet B radiation rig.
SANDPOINT — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is gathering public comment on a rapid-response plan for containing and eradicating dreaded invasive mussels if they turn up in the Columbia River Basin.
The corps’ Walla Walla District is seeking input on a finding of no significant impact and an environmental assessment on the rapid-response plan, which covers the states of Idaho, Montana, Washington and Oregon. The comment period is open until Aug. 19.
Zebra and quagga mussels are native to the Azov and Black Sea regions of eastern Europe. They were first introduced to the Great Lakes region in the mid-1980s by freighters transferring ballast water and now can be found throughout North America. The hardy dreissenids have no natural predators and can spread prolifically, posing threats to the diversity and abundance of native species, in addition to disrupting ecological processes and food chains.
They adhere to virtually any hard surface and wreak havoc on any submerged infrastructures such as drinking water intakes, hydro power facilities, docks and boats. They also litter beaches with razor-sharp shells.
Federal officials estimate $5 billion has been spent in preventing and controlling the dreissenid invasion since the 1980s. As much as $100 million is spent every year combating the invasion in the Great Lakes.
And although they can be found throughout the continent, they have not found a foothold in the Inland Northwest, due to the Idaho State Department of Agriculture’s mandatory boat inspection stations, which routinely turn up mussel-fouled boats from infested areas. The Idaho Lakes Commission has hailed Idaho’s aquatic invasive species program as one which other states emulate when developing their own programs.
But the threat of human introduction remains high, according to federal officials.
“Dreissenids being human introduced into the Columbia River Basin at some point is not only possible, but probable,” the Walla Walla District’s Brad Trumbo said in a 331-page biological assessment of the rapid-response plan.
A single female can produce over a million eggs in one season and can spawn multiple times in a season, according to assessment. Eggs develop into larvae, which in turn develop into microscopic veligers. Mussels reach maturation within 12-18 months.
The corps has installed veliger settlement plates at all of its parks, boat launches and dams. The plates are checked weekly.
If mussels are detected in a water body, the plan sets for a protocol for isolating an infested area for up to 45 days with silt curtains or bladder dams. The infestation would then be bombarded with aquatic herbicides, algaecides and bactericides. They could also subjected to intense ultraviolet B radiation or ozone, according to the plan.
The plan, in addition to links for commenting, can be found at nww.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental-Compliance .
Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.