Launching a boat into Lake Tahoe is a summer tradition for many. However, before each vessel enters the lake, they must undergo a strict inspection for invasive species.
"The quagga and zebra mussels are about the size of a thumbnail," said Chris Kilian with the Tahoe Resource Conservation District.
Despite being so small, they can have a big impact on the lake.
"Each little mussel has about a million babies each time it reproduces," said Kilian. "That's a lot of potential do infest the lake."
Preventing the spread is easy, according to officials.
"It's super simple," said Tom Boos of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. " Clean. Drain. Dry. The whole reason why we are doing this is to prevent the introduction of aquatic invasive species into the lake."
There are four stations around Lake Tahoe looking for potential problems. Earlier this month, crews found two boats with mussels.
"They came off rather easily," said Kilian, referring to a sailboat that had about 20 dead mussels.
At the Truckee Watercraft Inspection Station at the Truckee Airport, crews have the tools to detect and kill aquatic invasive species if necessary.
"Basically we use 140 degree water," said Kilian. "We don't want to use any chemicals. It's not good for the engine and we don't want anything to get into the lake."
Crews will flush the hot water through the boat to kill the mussels. New containment mats will collect the water before it is recycled at a nearby structure. These tools are new this year.
Despite the minor inconvenience, most understand the importance of these inspections.
That's what it's about," said Curtis Buck of Gardnerville. "Keeping the water clear, and fun for everyone. Everyone was super friendly. They checked the boat for invasive species, and I'll be on my way in a minute."
Original Story: Boat inspections stopped two boats carrying invasive mussels from entering local lakes.
Inspectors found about 100 invasive mussels on one boat and 20 on another.
The boat carrying more mussels had come from Lake Pleasant, Arizona and the mussels on it were still alive.
They were stopped in Meyers and Truckee.
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency said both boats were quarantined until they could be decontaminated.
