Governments will practice emergency response on lake against invasive mussels

State, federal, and tribal governments will come together next week on Lake Roosevelt for the first on-the-ground exercise in the Columbia River basin to prepare for an infestation of non-native mussels that cause millions in damage in Eastern waters and are now expected to make their way here.

Invasive quagga and zebra mussels are small, non-native, freshwater mollusks that have caused significant environmental and economic harm in the United States. First arriving in the Great Lakes in the 1980s in ships' ballast water from the Caspian and Black Seas, they now spread primarily on recreational boats.

"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, we have intercepted more than 50 boats with mussels attached," said Allen Pleus, aquatic invasive species manager at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). "We see this exercise as a critical, proactive step to safeguard our state's ecosystems and economic interests."

The mussels can clog pipes and mechanical systems of industrial plants, utilities, locks, and dams. If 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.

In the practice exercise scheduled for Oct. 23, the National Park Service, Spokane Tribe of Indians, and WDFW will lead an emergency rapid response effort to respond to a practice scenario as if quagga and zebra mussels are verified at the Kettle Falls Marina.

"The Columbia River is the last great river basin in the continental United States that doesn't have quagga and zebra mussels in it. It only takes one boat to change that," said Justin Bush, executive coordinator of the Washington Invasive Species Council, which is facilitating the exercise. "These mussels would have devastating impacts to virtually every aspect of life in Washington, from raising the cost of electricity, drinking water, and food, to threatening endangered salmon in the Columbia River and our vibrant outdoor recreation economy."

"Quagga and Zebra mussels represent an extreme impact to fishery and natural resources, public recreation, management of water resources, and the economy wherever they are introduced," said Dan Foster, superintendent of Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. "Everyone should be engaged in this fight. Participation in exercises such as this unify us in our efforts to protect and manage these resources."

The exercise will include deploying and testing a containment system, boat inspections at Kettle Falls marina, a boat decontamination station, and in-water monitoring by skilled divers and scientists.

This effort is supported by funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation through the U.S. Department of Interior's Safe Guarding the West Initiative, which aims to strengthen federal, tribal, and state coordination to protect the West from economic and ecological threats posed by invasive mussels.

Other agencies involved in the practice response effort include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and other state environmental and natural resource agencies through the Washington Invasive Species Council.