Nearly 11K boats inspected for aquatic invasive species during Memorial Day weekend

Salt Lake City — Memorial Day weekend often kicks off the summer boating season, and over the weekend, Utah Department of Natural Resources officers, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources technicians and other agency staff were hard at work inspecting and decontaminating watercraft. The main goal of this effort was to prevent quagga mussels and other aquatic invasive species — including Eurasian watermilfoil — from Lake Powell and from infested reservoirs outside the state from spreading to other waterbodies in Utah.

Statewide, aquatic invasive species technicians with the DWR, Utah State Parks, Arizona Game and Fish Department and the National Park Service, as well as DNR natural resources officers, inspected 10,988 boats and performed 141 decontaminations from Friday to Monday. Of those total numbers, 1,829 of the boat inspections and 63 of the decontaminations took place at inspection stations in the Lake Powell area.

Statewide, DNR officers detected 113 violations of Utah laws established to prevent the spread of invasive mussels. The majority of the violations this year were due to:

• Boaters failing to take the mandatory mussel-aware boater program course and not paying the associated aquatic invasive species fee for motorized boats
• Boaters failing to remove drain plugs while transporting their watercraft

"We opened a new aquatic invasive species mandatory inspection station in Kanab, and unfortunately, we had some boaters drive past it over the holiday weekend," Utah Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Aquatic Invasive Species Statewide Operations Lt. Bruce Johnson said. "Even watercraft that have been inspected at Lake Powell are required to stop at operating mandatory inspection stations to verify their inspection. We want to thank all the boaters for their support and cooperation with our aquatic invasive species staff — we really appreciate those who take the time to be aware and prepared before hitting the water."

There are over 40 inspection stations located at various waterbody boat ramps, along highways and at Port of Entry stations throughout Utah. The DWR and its partners have also installed five dip tanks across the state that more efficiently and effectively decontaminate complex boats. The dip tanks are all free to use and are typically close to either the entrance of a state park or near a boat ramp. Dip tanks have been installed at the following locations around Utah:

• Lake Powell — Stateline Launch Ramp at Wahweap Marina (May 2021)
• Utah Lake State Park (May 2023)
• Sand Hollow State Park (October 2023)
• Lake Powell — Bullfrog Marina (May 2024)
• Willard Bay State Park (May 2024)

Negative impacts of quagga mussels

• They plug water lines, even lines that are large in diameter.
• If they get into water delivery systems, it will cost millions of dollars annually to remove them and keep the pipes free, which can result in higher utility bills.
• They remove plankton from the water, which hurts fish species.
• 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.

Negative impacts of Eurasian watermilfoil

• This invasive plant is negative for aquatic ecosystems because it spreads quickly and grows in thick mats. Its density blocks out sunlight, and it outcompetes native plants, negatively impacting fish and other native aquatic species.
• Transporting even one piece of milfoil to another waterbody can start a new population of the plant in that waterbody.
• Eurasian watermilfoil (also called milfoil) can clog irrigation pipes.
• It also can tangle around boat propellers and cause damage.
• Removing milfoil from a waterbody once it's found there is extremely expensive.

Visit the STD of the Sea website for a list of all the decontamination stations around the state and for further information regarding requirements for boaters and others using nonmotorized watercraft.