With the county invested so heavily in San Antonio and
Nacimiento lakes, officials have kept a wary eye on reports of
Quagga and Zebra mussel contamination at waterways in the
state.
With the county invested so heavily in San Antonio and Nacimiento lakes, officials have kept a wary eye on reports of Quagga and Zebra mussel contamination at waterways in the state.
Most of the infestations of the invasive species have occurred in Southern California, where many boaters who visit the local lakes reside, but hit as close to home as San Benito County’s San Justo Reservoir, which has been closed for years, due to an infestation.
In response, both Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, where the lakes are located, are using “self-certification” questionnaires and vessel screening programs for the first time starting this weekend.
Boaters will be asked to fill out a “mussel self-inspection form” that promises a vessel has been cleaned, drained and dried since its last launch. The form requires boat owners to swear they haven’t launched at an infected waterway in the past 30 days, and if so, that the boat has been decontaminated.
The mussels “pose a threat to our waters and fisheries,” Monterey County water resources agency chairman Dave Hart said. “The spread of these mussels threatens water delivery systems, hydroelectric facilities, agriculture, recreational boating and fishing, and the environment in general,” he said.
While every boat won’t be subject to rigorous inspection, said Monterey County water resources official Bill Phillips, rangers, trained parks and resort staff, and volunteers will be keeping an eye out for boats that are dirty or wet, or that have been launched in threatened areas recently.
Phillips said county water resources decided not to inspect all boats visiting the lakes because it “would cause chaos on a weekend like this” and because the county simply can’t afford to do so. But he said the “intermediate step” of self-certification is expected to reduce the risk of infestation.
Meanwhile, Phillips said county officials will continue to seek state and federal money for a more thorough fee-based inspection program such as those implemented in other areas, including Santa Clara County, which maintains a database showing where all boats have been launched.
Such a program wouldn’t be ready to go until next year at the earliest, Phillips said.
