During Labor Day weekend, the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources and partner agencies conducted rigorous inspections and watercraft decontaminations, inspecting 4,299 boats and performing 133 decontaminations statewide to prevent the spread of invasive quagga mussels. The Lake Powell area accounted for 1,194 boat inspections and 45 decontaminations. This effort was in response to the threat posed by these mussels, which can clog water lines, increase utility costs, harm fish populations, damage boat engines, and create unpleasant odors and hazards along beaches. The Utah Department of Wildlife Resources thanked boaters for their cooperation and urged them to check the STD of the Sea website for boating requirements and information. Additionally, they highlighted the role of dip tanks in decontamination, with the Utah Lake dip tank completing its 700th decontamination over the weekend, while a third dip tank was recently installed at Sand Hollow State Park.
For Immediate Release
Sept. 5, 2023
Nearly 4,300 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.
Statewide, aquatic invasive species technicians with the DWR, Utah State Parks, Arizona Game and Fish Department and the National Park Service inspected 4,299 boats and performed 133 decontaminations from Friday to Monday. Of those total numbers, 1,194 of the boat inspections and 45 of the decontaminations took place at inspection stations in the Lake Powell area.
During the 2022 Labor Day weekend, 14,712 inspections were performed statewide, and 174 boats were decontaminated.
The Utah Lake dip tank has been very instrumental in helping decontaminate boats in northern Utah since it was installed in May, and completed its 700th decontamination over the Labor Day weekend. It is the second dip tank in Utah. (The Lake Powell dip tank was installed in May 2021.) A third dip tank was recently installed at Sand Hollow State Park and will be open for public use in a few weeks.
“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 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. Visit the STD of the Sea website for a list of all the decontamination stations around the state and for further information regarding boater requirements, including new requirements that went into effect July 1.
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.
Photos: courtesy of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Serve the people of Utah as trustee and guardian of the state’s protected wildlife. Strengthen support for wildlife management by demonstrating the value and importance of wildlife to all Utahns. Conserve, enhance, and actively manage Utah’s protected wildlife populations.