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ENLARGE
Drain, clean and dry
State biologists say that preventing the spread of aquatic nuisance species starts with boaters.
They are responsible for the following steps:
DRAIN:
* Drain every conceivable space or item that can hold water.
* Follow factory guidelines for eliminating water from engines. All engines hold water, but jet drives on personal watercraft and other boats can hold extra water.
* Remove the drain plug from boats and put boat on an incline so that the water drains out.
* Drain live-wells, bilge, ballast tanks and transom wells.
* Empty water out of kayaks, canoes, rafts, etc.
CLEAN:
* Remove any visible plant or plant fragments as well as mud or other debris. Plant material, mud and other debris routinely contain other organisms that may be an aquatic nuisance species. Some plant species are aquatic nuisance species.
* Check trailer, including axel and wheel areas - in and around the boat itself: anchor, props and jet engines, ropes, boat bumpers, paddles.
* Clean and check and dry off all parts and equipment that came in contact with water.
* Empty bait buckets into trash. Do not empty any bait fish into the lake or reservoir.
* Potassium Chloride: an effective mussel-killing remedy that works on both adults and veligers is a 200 parts per million solution of potassium chloride (KCL). You can make this solution by thoroughly mixing one teaspoon of dry KCL crystals in 2 gallons of water. You can add the KCL solution to your empty ballast tanks after draining them to treat the small amount of left-over water that typically doesn’t drain all the way out.
* KCL mixed in the solution described above is deadly to zebra and quagga mussel adults and veligers. However, it is harmless to other aquatic organism and humans. It also has extremely low corrosion characteristics and has been used in the oil well drilling industry for decades. Potassium chloride crystals are available at many home improvement stores and water softener suppliers. The Morton Salt Company offers KCL in 40 pound bags.
* Using a car wash or home power water sprayer is not adequate to kill and/or remove zebra or quagga mussels.
* IMPORTANT! – Do Not Use any other kind of salt solution. Typical household salt used for seasoning and food consumption is Sodium Chloride (NaCL). It will not kill zebra and quagga mussels.
DRY:
* Allow everything to completely dry before launching into another body of water.
They are responsible for the following steps:
DRAIN:
* Drain every conceivable space or item that can hold water.
* Follow factory guidelines for eliminating water from engines. All engines hold water, but jet drives on personal watercraft and other boats can hold extra water.
* Remove the drain plug from boats and put boat on an incline so that the water drains out.
* Drain live-wells, bilge, ballast tanks and transom wells.
* Empty water out of kayaks, canoes, rafts, etc.
CLEAN:
* Remove any visible plant or plant fragments as well as mud or other debris. Plant material, mud and other debris routinely contain other organisms that may be an aquatic nuisance species. Some plant species are aquatic nuisance species.
* Check trailer, including axel and wheel areas - in and around the boat itself: anchor, props and jet engines, ropes, boat bumpers, paddles.
* Clean and check and dry off all parts and equipment that came in contact with water.
* Empty bait buckets into trash. Do not empty any bait fish into the lake or reservoir.
* Potassium Chloride: an effective mussel-killing remedy that works on both adults and veligers is a 200 parts per million solution of potassium chloride (KCL). You can make this solution by thoroughly mixing one teaspoon of dry KCL crystals in 2 gallons of water. You can add the KCL solution to your empty ballast tanks after draining them to treat the small amount of left-over water that typically doesn’t drain all the way out.
* KCL mixed in the solution described above is deadly to zebra and quagga mussel adults and veligers. However, it is harmless to other aquatic organism and humans. It also has extremely low corrosion characteristics and has been used in the oil well drilling industry for decades. Potassium chloride crystals are available at many home improvement stores and water softener suppliers. The Morton Salt Company offers KCL in 40 pound bags.
* Using a car wash or home power water sprayer is not adequate to kill and/or remove zebra or quagga mussels.
* IMPORTANT! – Do Not Use any other kind of salt solution. Typical household salt used for seasoning and food consumption is Sodium Chloride (NaCL). It will not kill zebra and quagga mussels.
DRY:
* Allow everything to completely dry before launching into another body of water.
SUMMIT COUNTY — The U.S. Forest Service will tighten access to Green Mountain Reservoir this summer to prevent an invasion of alien mussels.
Effective immediately, the lake bed and low-water beaches will be closed to all vehicles.
Boat launching will be subject to checkpoint inspections to comply with new state regulations.
“Access must be narrowed down to limited locations to inspect and treat, if necessary, boats before entering the lake,” said Jan Cutts, District Ranger on the Dillon Ranger District.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife says the mussels could threaten fisheries and operations of Green Mountain Dam, a key link in the Upper Colorado River storage and distribution system.
State biologists said Green Mountain Reservoir is at a high risk for invasion. The pests multiply quickly and cause millions of dollars in damage to water-management structures, boats and permanently changing native fisheries. Evidence of these non-native pests has already been found in lakes near Granby and a few other locations around the state.
“No trailer launches are allowed right now,” said Forest Service recreation specialist Ken Waugh. Smaller vessels like canoes can still be carried down to the water from vehicles parked above the high-water line, Waugh said.
“We understand that this will alter the manner in which some visitors have used Green Mountain in the past,” said Cutts. “We hope they understand that these actions are necessary to protect this wonderful place for them to continue using into the future.”
The nearest mussels have been found in Grand Lake, just north of the Summit County line.
“We have a lot of common customers,” Waugh said.
Normally, fishermen would be preparing for beach launches and setting up trailer camps at the beaches along the south end of the reservoir. This year they’ll have to wait until the Heeney Marina opens on May 15. The marina will be the only authorized checkpoint at the start of the season.
Colorado cracked down last year, taking a no-tolerance approach that has been effective in other states. The tiny shellfish like to hitch rides on the hulls of boats. They’ve spread rapidly across the country in the past 10 years, causing millions of dollars of damage.
Cleaning and disinfecting boats is the best way to prevent the spread of mussels, but it requires manpower and equipment. The Forest Service hopes to open several additional checkpoints in collaboration with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the division of wildlife.
In a release, Forest Service officials said, “Effective immediately, vehicle access to the lakebed will be closed. Vehicle access will be available above the high-water line once traffic controls are in place. No trailered watercraft will be allowed on the reservoir until watercraft inspection and disinfection stations can be established. It is hoped that the WID facilities and staffing will be operating by Memorial Day weekend.”
Additional information can be obtained by contacting the Dillon Ranger District office at (970) 468-5400.
http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/Profiles/InvasiveSpecies/WatercraftCleaning.htm
http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/Profiles/InvasiveSpecies/ZebraandQuaggaMussels.htm
Effective immediately, the lake bed and low-water beaches will be closed to all vehicles.
Boat launching will be subject to checkpoint inspections to comply with new state regulations.
“Access must be narrowed down to limited locations to inspect and treat, if necessary, boats before entering the lake,” said Jan Cutts, District Ranger on the Dillon Ranger District.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife says the mussels could threaten fisheries and operations of Green Mountain Dam, a key link in the Upper Colorado River storage and distribution system.
State biologists said Green Mountain Reservoir is at a high risk for invasion. The pests multiply quickly and cause millions of dollars in damage to water-management structures, boats and permanently changing native fisheries. Evidence of these non-native pests has already been found in lakes near Granby and a few other locations around the state.
“No trailer launches are allowed right now,” said Forest Service recreation specialist Ken Waugh. Smaller vessels like canoes can still be carried down to the water from vehicles parked above the high-water line, Waugh said.
“We understand that this will alter the manner in which some visitors have used Green Mountain in the past,” said Cutts. “We hope they understand that these actions are necessary to protect this wonderful place for them to continue using into the future.”
The nearest mussels have been found in Grand Lake, just north of the Summit County line.
“We have a lot of common customers,” Waugh said.
Normally, fishermen would be preparing for beach launches and setting up trailer camps at the beaches along the south end of the reservoir. This year they’ll have to wait until the Heeney Marina opens on May 15. The marina will be the only authorized checkpoint at the start of the season.
Colorado cracked down last year, taking a no-tolerance approach that has been effective in other states. The tiny shellfish like to hitch rides on the hulls of boats. They’ve spread rapidly across the country in the past 10 years, causing millions of dollars of damage.
Cleaning and disinfecting boats is the best way to prevent the spread of mussels, but it requires manpower and equipment. The Forest Service hopes to open several additional checkpoints in collaboration with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the division of wildlife.
In a release, Forest Service officials said, “Effective immediately, vehicle access to the lakebed will be closed. Vehicle access will be available above the high-water line once traffic controls are in place. No trailered watercraft will be allowed on the reservoir until watercraft inspection and disinfection stations can be established. It is hoped that the WID facilities and staffing will be operating by Memorial Day weekend.”
Additional information can be obtained by contacting the Dillon Ranger District office at (970) 468-5400.
http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/Profiles/InvasiveSpecies/WatercraftCleaning.htm
http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/Profiles/InvasiveSpecies/ZebraandQuaggaMussels.htm
