Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
June 9, 2009
1. Top Items–
Tahoe boaters to help pay for fight against invading mollusks
Mussel prevention assessment
Ukiah Daily Journal
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Tahoe boaters to help pay for fight against invading mollusks
By Jeff DeLong
Beginning this week, boaters launching into
The inspection fees took effect Monday and are unavoidable, land-use regulators said.
"This is arguably the worst invader that is at Tahoe's doorstep," said Jeff Cowen, community liaison for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. "The potential effects of infestation would be devastating. There is no removal. No one has been successful at eradication."
Inspectors decontaminated six boats for invasive mussels at
"This shows us that the inspection program is working and the inspectors are taking their job seriously," said Dennis Oliver, a spokesman with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.
The danger comes from quagga and zebra mussels, closely related invasive mollusks that have overrun many bodies of water in the East and
The shellfish hitched a ride to the
The shellfish embryos can survive for weeks in the moist hull of a boat, and when they become established in a lake they quickly spread, clogging up motors and intake pipes and quickly annihilating an aquatic ecosystem, sucking out huge quantities of nutrients used by other creatures and poisoning waterfowl and destroying fish populations. Beaches are left littered with thick beds of sharp shells and a high stink.
Quagga mussels first were found in Lake Mead in early 2007 and have spread to other waters in Southern Nevada and
If either were to become established at
"The mussel threat is truly frightening," said Rochelle Nason of the environmental group the League to Save Lake Tahoe. "The potential damage to
The primary danger is mussels stowing away attached to boats entering the lake.
Boats have been inspected for mussels at the lake's various launch ramps for a year, but the temporary grants funding the program are expiring.
That makes fees essential to continuing the effort, Cowen said.
The TRPA fees will raise about $654,000 annually. Most boaters will pay about $30, with the largest vessels being charged twice that.
The effort is designed to target boaters who have used bodies of water other than Tahoe that might be contaminated with mussels.
When boats exit the lake, a zip-tie seal will be fixed by inspectors between the boat and trailer.
If the seal is intact when a boat launches again, no inspection will be needed and no fee charged. If the seal is broken, another inspection and payment will be required.
Several boaters launching at Lake Forest Public Boat Ramp on Tahoe's north shore said they will pay the fees without much heartache.
"If that cost keeps Tahoe pure and clear, it's fine," said Al Siegling of
"We're here all summer," said Patrick Wheeler of
But with low water levels already closing many launch areas around the lake this summer, inspections could result in crowded conditions and long lines, said Tanya Forbes of
Cowen acknowledged the fees could discourage some boaters from coming to Tahoe.
"The decision to start collecting the fee was not easy," Cowen said. "There were no other options and it was absolutely necessary."
Any drop in business would pale compared to the economic consequences of mussel infestation, said Mike Wilson, general manager of North Tahoe Marina.
Some lakes and reservoirs have been closed to boating because of the mussels, and that could occur at
"The fees are a necessity," Nason said. "It's a burden on boaters, but without them, we could lose boating on this lake altogether."
Quagga mussel shells were found May 18 on a 30-foot Sea Ray boat that had been purchased in
That boat was decontaminated on May 19 at the TRCD office near
Five other boats underwent a full- to-partial decontamination during the holiday weekend, but did not have shells on their engines, hulls or other parts, Cartwright said.
"There were not physical mussels but they were from at-risk areas and had some kind of standing water," Cartwright said.
Inspectors also found a 40-foot Chris Craft and 32-foot Grand Banks at Obexer's Boat Company at
"No matter what they are, these boats are going to have to be decontaminated," Pera said. "We know at least they don't belong in
Another vessel was inspected at Ski Beach in Incline Village, and found to have barnacles attached to it, but was not decontaminated, Cartwright said.
In August 2008 inspectors quarantined a 32-foot cabin cruiser after discovering a quagga mussel shell on its engine for the first time.#
http://www.rgj.com/article/20090609/TT/906090302/1047
Mussel prevention assessment
Ukiah Daily Journal-6/08/09
From staff reports
By Ed Calkin
The Record-Bee (
Our "mussel task force" has tried to implement a plan to combat this threat while trying to please everyone.
Many have complimented the "excellent job" they are doing. I conclude they have accomplished little to stop the threat, while acknowledging they have made a great effort.
The economy of
The ecology of the lake will change forever. Property values will plummet. A financially challenged county will become a financially ruined county as tourism will all but go away.
We have known of this threat for years. Initial (2005) reactions were that
When the threat increased many correctly assumed the state should be the first responder. Finally (2007), the BOS initiated the task force to ensure that we did everything possible to protect our lakes and economy when it was obvious the state was not stepping up to the task.
While public awareness is at a much greater level than it was, concrete actions to prevent the mussels from getting here have been discussed at length but have not happened. We are at risk as much today as we were two years ago.
A couple of examples: a friend went to a resort to get stickers for a visitor's boat on Memorial Day. There was no attempt to determine where the boat was from or what the risk level was, there was no discussion of the importance of the program, no focus on the affidavit or personal commitment no sense of urgency whatsoever. It was just a transaction, sign here, give us $10 and here are your stickers. No prevention.
Many wakeboard boats visit us from
Those ballast tanks always have some water in them and can contain live mussels or velegers for months. To this day we do not treat ballast tanks when these boats go into
What could be done to prevent or minimize the threat:
1) Close the lake to out-of-county boats. Most effective but not acceptable due to the impact on the economy. Other
2) Stop all boats on roadways accessing the county to force inspection and treatment of at-risk boats. Not feasible nor affordable.
3) Stop all at-risk boats from entering the lake by controlling all launch ramps. Not feasible nor affordable (Tahoe has a plan like this).
4) A sticker plan to ensure that every user of our lake has signed an affidavit stating that he or she acknowledges the risk and personally assumes the responsibility to ensure that they do not spread mussels into
Significant penalties defined for failure to sign the affidavit and display the sticker ($1,000?) and significant legal action to anyone proven to have exposed the lake to mussels (e.g. $10,000 and loss of boat or ?) are key.
Such a program that was enforced and had publicity through boating periodicals would put users of
The purpose of this assessment is not to criticize nor compliment the effort by many to protect the lake from these invaders. The purpose is to provide an overview of the results. To date, effectiveness has been very poor.
To make the hard decisions to implement and enforce a program that puts the responsibility on the visiting boat owners takes strong leadership and follow through with meaningful fines. We have neither. We sorely need both.#
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