Boat inspections stopping invasive mussels at Idaho border
July 14, 2018
COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho officials say more boats carrying invasive mussels have been intercepted at inspection stations so far this year than for the entire boating seasons in each of the last five years.
Nick Zurfluh of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture says 41,000 inspections have found 36 watercrafts with mussels.
Quagga and zebra mussels can clog water pipes, damage boat motors and affect other aquatic life.
Zurfluh tells the Coeur d’Alene Press in a story in early July so far there have been no confirmed mussel infestations in Idaho.
State officials say it could cost the state $100 million annually in damage and lost revenue if mussels infest Idaho’s water.
