Wednesday February 26, 2025
Capital Press —
The Idaho State Department of Agriculture on Feb. 24 started a follow-up treatment for invasive quagga mussels on part of the Middle Snake River. The treatment with potash, or potassium chloride, focuses on deep pools near waterfalls and rocky areas.
The still-water pools are isolated from the main channel after high water recedes seasonally. Quagga and zebra mussels can clog irrigation, drinking water hydroelectric power systems — causing significant economic loss — and can alter aquatic environments. ISDA and partners treated the river section with chelated copper following the first detection of quagga mussels in 2023 and after a smaller-scale detection last year.
The isolated pools were included in the treatments. The current treatment reflects the department’s commitment to use “every available tool” to combat quagga mussels, according to a news release. Potash will be used in the still-water pools “as an extra measure toward eradication of the mussels.”