More than 18,000 boats inspected for quagga mussels during Fourth of July weekend

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — Over the busy Fourth of July holiday weekend, officials inspected more than 18,000 boats in an ongoing effort to keep invasive quagga mussels out of Utah’s lakes and reservoirs.

The Utah Department of Natural Resources said in a news release that between Thursday and Sunday officials across multiple state and federal agencies inspected 18,831 boats and performed 364 decontaminations across Utah. Over that time, officers issued 161 citations and warnings.

Most of the violations were from boaters failing to stop at inspection stations, failing to take the mandatory mussel-aware course , not removing drain plugs while transporting their boats, or launching watercraft without waiting the required dry time or getting their boat decontaminated.

At Lake Powell — the only lake in Utah contaminated with quagga mussels — all watercraft are required to get an exit inspection when leaving the area. Following the inspection, the watercraft must be professionally decontaminated or undergo the required cleaning and dry time before it launches in a different body of water.

What are quagga mussels

Native to Baltic region, quagga mussels are inedible to humans and can rapidly reproduce when introduced to new waters. Utah wildlife officials say the tiny bivalves take food from native fish, clog and damage water pipes, and, when broken, their razor-sharp shells can cut swimmers’ feet.

According to officials, if quagga mussels get into Utah’s water delivery system, it would likely cost millions of dollars each year to remove them. Under such a scenario, paying for the maintenance would result in higher utility bills.

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