PROTECT YOUR BOAT PROTECT LAKE TAHOE
Welcome to the Lake Tahoe aquatic invasive species information page. To prevent the introduction of destructive aquatic invaders such as the quagga and zebra mussels to Lake Tahoe, boat inspections are being conducted at all launch facilities.
An inspection fee also will be collected.
Here you will find information on the effort to protect your boat and Lake Tahoe from these aquatic invaders. You will also find links to web resources where you can learn more about aquatic invasive species.
Why an inspection?
To prevent an infestation at Lake Tahoe, every motorized vessel launching at the Lake must be examined by trained inspectors while launching. Quagga and zebra mussels are carried between waterways on boat trailers and boats.
Those who have recently launched at infested waterways such as Lake Mead and other waters of the Colorado River Drainage risk spreading the mussels to anyplace they launch next.
The mussels reproduce rapidly, causing serious environmental damage. Additionally, they can cause serious damage to boats by clogging cooling system water intakes, causing motors to overheat.
Why a Fee?
Grant funding that had been used to pay for the inspection program is running out. As is the case at other water bodies, it has become necessary to charge a fee to keep the inspections going. Fees are based on the size of your boat and range from $10 to $60. The average fee is $30.
A 10-inspection discount card will be available this summer for boats that frequently launch at lakes that do not offer inspections or decontamination. The 25% discount cards will be available at the TRPA office in Stateline, NV.
The funds will be used ONLY for the inspection program, which is needed in order to prevent serious damage to your vessel and immeasurable environmental damage to Lake Tahoe.
| INSPECTION FEES | |
| Fee | Vessel Category |
| No Fee | Non-Motorized |
| No Fee | With Inspection Seal |
| $10* | Up to 16' |
| $30* | Over 16' to 25' |
| $40* | Over 25' to 39' |
| $60* | Over 39' |
|
Additional $10 for vessels
containing ballast tanks/bladders/live wells. * A 25% discount card will be available this summer for frequent launches. |
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Do I have to pay everytime I launch?
Maybe not. When you remove your boat from Lake Tahoe, you will be given an inspection seal attaching the vessel to your trailer. If the seal is still intact the next time you launch, no inspection will be needed and no fee will be collected. By boating only at Lake Tahoe, one inspection and fee can last all summer or from year to year.
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| CAVE ROCK | 5AM-8PM DAILY | |||||||||
| SAND HARBOR | 6AM-8PM DAILY | |||||||||
| SKI BEACH |
7AM-8PM DAILY |
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| LAKE FOREST |
5AM-11PM |
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How to prepare/What to expect
Come to the launch facility prepared to answer questions about your recent boating trips. The inspectors need to know where your boat has been and how recently. If your boat has been in storage all winter, bring the storage facility receipt with you. If your boat has been in an infested waterway, decontamination may be necessary. Also be prepared to pay inspection and launch fees.
ALWAYS CLEAN, DRAIN AND DRY
YOUR EQUIPMENT EVERY TIME YOU LAUNCH
How to help
The best way to help is the spread the word. Enlist your friends in the fight to protect Tahoe.
Contact us:
1-888-TAHO-ANS
Follow us:
http://twitter.com/tahoeaquatic
Or text "follow tahoeaquatic" to 40404 from your phone.
Thank you, boaters! You are the key to keeping Tahoe mussel free. We cannot afford to lose this fight.
Aquatic Invasive Species Management
While the TRPA and agency partners are working to prevent the introduction of quagga/zebra mussels and other aquatic invasives, new information has come to light about a previous invader. The Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) has been known to be present in Lake Tahoe for at least 6 years in small numbers. On April 25, 2008 researchers from the U.C. Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) located large beds of these clams at two locations near the southern end of Lake Tahoe (Ski Run Marina Beach and Regan Beach).
click here for more information on this discovery.This large increase in the number of clams in the lake means that these clams will be washing up on Tahoe beaches and may be confused with quagga/zebra mussels. While these clams may have a negative effect on native species, their impact pales to that of quagga/zebra mussels. Find out more at the 100th Meridian Initiative website.
www.100thmeridian.orgLake Tahoe’s pristine waters can be damaged by the introduction of invasive species of aquatic plants, fish, shellfish and other organisms, or taxa. Over the years, non-native aquatic taxa have been introduced to Lake Tahoe and have changed the natural ecosystem. Eurasian Milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) is a weed that has inundated shallow harbors. This and other weeds are spreading to other parts of the lake and threaten Tahoe’s famed clarity in part by helping algae grow. Invasive weeds are being controlled through an intensive management program including mechanical harvest techniques, boater education and pursuing installation of boat wash stations at boat ramps. The Tahoe Resource Conservation District (TRCD) was recently awarded a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to further address removal efforts.
Today, Lake Tahoe and other western lakes face a new threat from the quagga mussel and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and its partner agencies are taking action. Quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) are a small freshwater shellfish with a triangular, rounded shell. A close relative of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), they can attach themselves to boats and boat trailers and travel for days out of the water. Once introduced to a new body of water with the right conditions, they can reproduce with astonishing efficiency. TRPA has partnered with other agencies to take action before mussels and other species can invade Lake Tahoe.
What Can Boaters Do to Stop the Spread of Invasive Species?
Since their initial discovery in Lake Mead, infestations of quagga mussel have been confirmed at other lakes to the south of Lake Tahoe. At this time, quagga mussels can potentially spread to Tahoe by clinging to the hulls of recreational boats, to trailers, and to commercial boat haulers traveling from infested waters such as: Lake Mead, NV Lake Mohave, NV Lake Havasu, CA & AZ Waters along the Colorado River drainage. San Justo Reservoir in San Benito County, CA
When leaving the water, boaters should:
Wash watercraft and trailers with high pressure hose at 140 degrees. Learn how to inspect watercraft for aquatic hitchhikers (young quagga mussels will feel like sandpaper to the touch, while adults usually have dark concentric rings on their shell. They can grow to 1.6 inches (4 cm) but are usually smaller than a quarter). Let your boat dry out for 28 days prior to transporting to other waters. Wash fishing equipment, water toys, wetsuits and flotation devices in a diluted bleach solution prior to use in another waters.
What Can Everyone Do to Stop the Spread of Invasive Species?
Report sightings to 1-888-TAHO-ANS.
Volunteer with the TRCD to help educate other boaters.
Print out the flyer from the link below and distribute to boat owners you know and/or contact points for boaters.
Educate yourselves and others about invasive species.
To find out more or share information, contact the
Tahoe Aquatic Nuisance hotline at 1-888-TAHO-ANS.
Click Here to download Tahoe Basin Inspection flyer