Over 9,500 boats inspected for quagga mussels during Labor Day weekend

Salt Lake City — Law enforcement officers and technicians with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and other agencies were hard at work over the holiday weekend, inspecting and decontaminating watercraft to prevent the spread of invasive quagga mussels from Lake Powell and other out-of-state infested reservoirs 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 inspected 9,596 boats and performed 159 decontaminations from Friday to Monday. Of those total numbers, 1,799 of the boat inspections and 41 of the decontaminations took place at inspection stations in the Lake Powell area.

Statewide, DWR conservation officers issued 149 citations and warnings for 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 know it has been a busy and fun boating summer with high water levels at many of our reservoirs and lakes," DWR Aquatic Invasive Species Lieutenant Bruce Johnson said. "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. We ask all boaters to visit the STD of the Sea website for information on boating requirements and for any questions they may have."

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)

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.

Why quagga mussels are bad

• 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.
• 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.