Utah Department of Natural Resources officers, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources technicians and personnel from other partner agencies were hard at work inspecting and decontaminating watercraft during the Labor Day weekend. These efforts help to prevent quagga mussels and other aquatic invasive species — including Eurasian watermilfoil — from Lake Powell and from infested reservoirs outside the state from spreading to other waterbodies in Utah.

Aquatic invasive species technicians with the DWR, Utah State Parks, Arizona Game and Fish Department and the National Park Service, as well as DNR natural resources officers, did the following from Friday to Monday:

• Inspected 11,627 boats statewide
• Inspected 1,499 boats at Lake Powell
• Performed 148 decontaminations statewide
• Decontaminated 25 boats at Lake Powell

There are over 40 inspection stations located at various waterbody boat ramps, along highways and at Port of Entry stations throughout Utah. There are also five dip tanks across the state that more efficiently and effectively decontaminate complex boats. The dip tanks are all free to use and are typically close to either the entrance of a state park or near a boat ramp. Dip tanks have been installed at the following locations around Utah:

• Lake Powell — Stateline Launch Ramp at Wahweap Marina (May 2021)
• Utah Lake State Park (May 2023)
• Sand Hollow State Park (October 2023)
• Lake Powell — Bullfrog Marina (May 2024)
• Willard Bay State Park (May 2024)

“More than two-thirds of the total decontaminations performed over the holiday weekend were done by one of our dip tanks,” Utah Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Aquatic Invasive Species Statewide Operations Lt. Bruce Johnson said. “They have been an important tool in increasing the efficiency of the decontaminations, and we are grateful that boaters are using them to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.”

DNR natural resource officers also detected a few violations, the majority of which were due to:

• Boaters failing to take the mandatory mussel-aware boater program course and not paying the associated aquatic invasive species fee for motorized boats
• Boaters failing to remove drain plugs while transporting their watercraft

Negative impacts of quagga mussels

• They plug water lines, even lines that are large in diameter.
• If they get into water delivery systems, 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.
• 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.

Negative impacts of Eurasian watermilfoil

• This invasive plant is negative for aquatic ecosystems because it spreads quickly and grows in thick mats. Its density blocks out sunlight, and it outcompetes native plants, negatively impacting fish and other native aquatic species.
• Transporting even one piece of Eurasian watermilfoil (also called milfoil) to another waterbody can start a new population of the plant in that waterbody.
• Milfoil can clog irrigation pipes.
• It also can tangle around boat propellers and cause damage.
• Removing milfoil from a waterbody once it's found there is extremely expensive.

Visit the STD of the Sea website for a list of all the decontamination stations around the state and for more information about requirements for boaters and others using nonmotorized watercraft.