The quagga mussel, first discovered in the United States in 1989, is an invasive species that alters the food web by filtering water and removing plankton, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. (Amy Benson/U.S. Geological Survey)
Officials with the Idaho State Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that they have detected new quagga mussels in the Snake River near Twin Falls.
Tuesday’s announcement arrived almost exactly one year after state officials announced they detected the invasive species in Snake River for the first time in September 2023. In response to first detecting the mussels, state officials used a copper based chemical called Natrix in the Snake River in an effort to kill off the mussels, the Sun previously reported .
Until this most recent detection of quagga mussels, state water sampling was negative for quagga mussels in 2024, the Sun previously reported.