Idaho lawmaker urges fight against mussels

BOISE — A northern Idaho lawmaker says the state faces a costly infestation of the invasive quagga and zebra mussels if it doesn't take action this spring.

Republican Rep. Eric Anderson of Priest Lake says the millions of dollars it will cost so fight the mussels if they become established is too high for the state to do nothing to prevent it from happening.

Anderson delivered his message to the Legislature's Environmental Common Sense Task Force this week.

He wants the state to require owners of any boat used in Idaho to buy a $20 sticker to pay for a boat washing program.

The mussels reproduce and spread rapidly, clogging machinery and water pipes and destroying aquatic ecosystems. Once the mussels become established, they're nearly impossible to eradicate.

Prime targets for the mussels are the state's extensive irrigation canals and ditches. Hydroelectric dams, fish hatcheries, marinas and drinking water systems can also be infested.