Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
ISDA details 2024 mid‑Snake quagga mussel response: expanded sampling, targeted copper treatment
Summary
The Idaho State Department of Agriculture told the House Agriculture Affairs Committee it expanded inspections and sampling after quagga mussel veligers were detected on the mid‑Snake River in September 2024, carried out a targeted treatment in October and mobilized state, private and federal partners to limit spread.
The Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) briefed the House Agriculture Affairs Committee on the agency’s 2024 response to quagga mussel detections on the mid‑Snake River, describing expanded inspections, enhanced laboratory confirmation and a complex chemical treatment intended to suppress a small but unacceptable reproductive population.
“Thanks to folks like Representative Miller and many others, we have increased by every single measure what we do in this program,” ISDA Director Chanel Tewalt told the committee as she summarized 2024 activity. The department described a stepped‑up approach: more boat inspections (about 50% more than the prior year), doubled statewide water sampling, added laboratory partners and the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) as one tool among several for delimiting the detection area.
Why it matters: Quagga and zebra mussels attach to hard surfaces, can reproduce prolifically, and pose known risks to irrigation infrastructure, hydropower facilities and municipal intakes. Idaho’s water and energy systems rely on clean infrastructure; the department said…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
