TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Another boating season is underway along the Snake River near Twin Falls, with mandatory watercraft inspection and decontamination stations in full operation as part of ongoing efforts to eradicate invasive quagga mussels.
The Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) has implemented an improved layout for the mandatory hot wash stations at popular launch sites like Centennial Park, where local boaters are adjusting to the new normal.
"Instead of just getting out and going, you have to stop and get the hot wash, but it doesn't take too long," Nick Winter said.
Nick and his wife Valerie are frequent visitors to the Snake River, launching their boat at Centennial Park regularly.
"I'm a water baby, so I like being in the water," Valerie said.
ISDA Invasive Species Bureau Chief Nic Zurfluh recently completed early-season sampling and monitoring of the Snake River in the ongoing battle against the invasive species.
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"It's still way too early to tell, but having no detections in May and part of June has been really, really good," Zurfluh said.
The department treated the Snake River with a chelated copper product in 2023 and again in 2024 to kill the quagga mussels. Sampling and monitoring will continue indefinitely, and hot washes will remain mandatory in the area for several years.
ISDA's monitoring efforts include plankton net tows and scuba diving inspections for adult mussels, with no findings in their most recent dive.
"And literally just going down the rock surface and using your hands and using your eyes to be able to see and feel the surface and looking for quagga muscles," Zurfluh said.
The department has doubled its monitoring and inspection efforts statewide while increasing watercraft inspections. In the last month alone, they inspected 20,000 watercraft across Idaho, with about 10% deemed high risk and requiring hot washing.
"Making sure that we're draining our boat because we do not want a species of this kind quagga mussels to be moved around the state of Idaho and so if we could do our best to isolate, what's going on here in the mistake rather than moving it from place to place, that's gonna be the key from here on," Zurfluh said.
Local boaters understand the importance of these measures despite the minor inconvenience.
"We're very fortunate to live in a beautiful area, and we need to keep it clean and keep it protected," Nick said.
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