"After causing expensive problems for farmers across the country, invasive zebra and quagga mussels are inching closer to the Columbia River Basin, where they could create serious agricultural impacts."

"John Rylaarsdam’s farm, near the towns of Quincy and George in Eastern Washington, receives about seven inches of rainfall each year. But he says it takes 25 to 30 inches of water to produce the alfalfa and timothy he grows. To fill the gap in supply, Rylaarsdam and other farmers rely on artificial irrigation to water their crops.

That’s why tiny mollusks that originated in Eastern Europe worry him so much.

The Columbia River Basin, which stretches from Wyoming to Washington and into Canada, is the last great river system in the U.S. to remain free of invasive zebra and quagga mussels. With small, thumbnail-sized shells, these mollusks reproduce quickly, growing on top of each other and clogging critical water and power infrastructure."

Michael Crowe reports for Civil Eats May 17, 2022. [2]