In Our View: Put Muscle in Prevention

Despite appearing harmless, zebra and quagga mussels are like the guests who never leave. They come into your home uninvited, make a mess of things, and end up costing you a bunch of money in the long run.

Because of that, the Legislature would be wise to invest in a policy to make it clear that such invasive species are not welcome in Washington. Prevention, after all, is less costly than cleaning up after the fact, which is why the state’s Aquatic Invasive Species Funding Advisory Committee is recommending that a package of user fees and a portion of the public utility tax be used to stop the arrival of damaging species. The committee was formed by the Legislature in 2015 and this year is coming to lawmakers with its recommendations.

The Northwest is the last mussel-free region of the United States, and efforts must be made to keep it that way. That can be difficult when boats or seaplanes that might be carrying the critters from other areas arrive in freshwater bodies. As the Tri-City Herald explained, “A single mussel can latch onto a hard surface — like an irrigation pipe — and produce a million eggs, which hatch and then continue the cycle until they have created a crusty, thick coating that plugs irrigation and hydropower systems.” They also compete with native water species for food, and economists estimate that it could cost $100 million a year to control an infestation of zebra and quagga mussels if such an infestation arrives in Washington.

Given that dire outlook, it would seem sensible for the Legislature to approve an additional $2.6 million for the 2017-19 biennium toward the prevention of invasive aquatic species. The current two-year budget allocates $1.8 million to fight the damaging mollusks, a total that ranks 11th among the 12 Western states.

The additional funding would increase watercraft inspections from 14,200 a year to 50,000 per year and would increase the number of mandatory check stations from 50 to 250. It also would increase inspections of bodies of water to facilitate early detection, and would enhance training for inspectors. The programs would be funded through user fees on recreational boaters, commercial watercraft, out-of-state boaters and others, in addition to pulling $1 million through the public utility tax diversion. In addition, it would tap into federal matching funds recently pushed through Congress with support from Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas.

In November, mussels were found for the first time in Montana, and Rep. Mike Cuffe, R-Mont., said, “Had that money been there to help double the work being done at boat checkpoints, the originator of these mussels might have been picked up before they were in the water.”

Montana’s experience should provide a lesson for Washington. Once mussels take hold in a body of water, they are considered impossible to eradicate and could eventually become problematic in all parts of the state. Herrera Beutler noted, “Protecting the Columbia River ecosystem from invasive species is paramount to our way of life in Southwest Washington.”

This year’s Legislature, undoubtedly, is faced with numerous requests to fund worthy projects and pressing needs — especially K-12 education. But in weighing the competing requests while trying to balance the budget, lawmakers should pay particular heed to projects that save money in the long run. A battle against aquatic invasive species is one such project, and it would be a prudent investment.