Research aims to keep invasive mussels at bay in Columbia

By Eric Florip
The Columbian

Invasive freshwater mussels so far haven’t found a foothold in the Columbia River. That doesn’t mean regional hydropower managers and researchers are sitting idle, waiting for them to show up.

A research project under way at the Port of Camas-Washougal aims to make sure the Northwest is better prepared if — or when — the tiny mollusks do arrive.

“They’re not here yet,” said Mark Sytsma, a Portland State University environmental sciences professor. “That we know of.”

Fast-breeding quagga and zebra mussels have a known track record of causing costly problems elsewhere, notably in the Great Lakes and, more recently, in Lake Mead at the Nevada-Arizona border. They’ve encrusted dam structures, clogged pipes and crowded out other wildlife, requiring millions of dollars in management and mitigation efforts. Read more