A DWR worker holds a ski rope infested with quagga and zebra mussels.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has done their part inspecting and decontaminating boats across the state this year trying to prevent the spread of invasive quagga mussels.
Although Hyrum reservoir had their share of boat inspections for quagga mussels, so far Lake Powell is the only Utah waterbody infested with the invasive species.
Aquatic invasive species technicians with the DWR, Utah State Parks, Arizona Game and Fish Department and the National Park Service have inspected 268,630 boats and performed 6,625 decontaminations since Jan. 1.
The Lake Powell area had the most boat inspections at 64,341 and 1,584 of the decontaminations took place at stations in the Lake Powell area.
Last year 238,774 boats were inspected statewide and 4,376 were decontaminated.
Three dip tanks in Utah were located at the Stateline Ramp at Lake Powell, Utah Lake and Sand Hollow Reservoir, which performed 1,000 of the total boat decontaminations.
“The dip tanks continue to be invaluable in improving efficiency for our decontaminations of complex boats,” DWR Aquatic Invasive Species Lt. Bruce Johnson said. “To help in these efforts, we have plans to install a dip tank at Willard Bay that should be operational for next year’s boating season. We also have dip tank installations planned for Pineview and Flaming Gorge reservoirs.”
DWR conservation officers issued 455 citations and warning citations for violations of Utah laws established to prevent the spread of invasive mussels, a decrease from the 588 violations detected in 2022.
The majority of the violations were due to:
- Boaters not taking the mandatory education course and not displaying the certification form
- Boaters and those with other watercraft (like waverunners, paddleboards and kayaks) failing to stop at mandatory inspection stations throughout the state.
- Boaters not removing drain plugs during transport
“Overall, our boaters have been very compliant in helping to ensure that aquatic invasive species don’t spread in Utah,” Johnson said. “We really appreciate everyone’s efforts. And while the boating season is winding down for the year, make sure to plan ahead for next year and be sure to take the mandatory education course, pay the required fees, and display the necessary decals on your watercraft, so you can be ready for a great boating season next year.”
In the summer time boats are required to have a seven day dry time, during the fall it is 18 days, and it is 30 days during the winter. Complex boats like wake boats are required to have a 30-day dry time, unless they are properly decontaminated.
“During the winter season, there aren’t many available watercraft inspection staff at the stations across the state,” Johnson said. “So we ask boaters going to Lake Powell — or to neighboring states’ mussel-infested waterbodies — to please either have their watercraft decontaminated at that location before leaving, or to call us ahead of time if they are going to need a decontamination before their next launch.”
Quagga mussels are bad because:
- They plug water lines, even lines that are large in diameter.
- If they get into water delivery systems in Utah, it will cost millions of dollars annually to remove them and keep the pipes free, which can result in higher utility bills.
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At Hyrum State Park, officials found one boat with quagga mussels during the week of the Fourth of July. They remove plankton from the water, which hurts fish species in Utah.
- Mussels get into your boat’s engine cooling system. Once they do, they’ll foul the system and damage the engine.
- When mussels die in large numbers, they stink and the sharp shells of dead mussels also cut your feet as you walk along the beaches.
Visit the STD of the Sea website for further information regarding boater requirements.