Uptick in boater visits boosts risks

SANDPOINT — Idaho’s watercraft inspection stations are seeing a 40-percent increase in traffic this summer, according to the Bonner County Soil & Conservation District.

“The reason? Idaho has spectacular water. And a lot of it,” said Molly McCahon of the district, which manages the inspection stations.

Some 27,000 boats have been inspected at the mandatory inspection stations since they opened in March.

The lure of Idaho’s waters, however, also heightens the risk of the introduction of quagga and zebra mussels. Thirteen vessels fouled with the prolific bivalves have been stopped at inspection stations.

The most recent boat, stopped at the Malad station, was a pontoon boat from Lake Mead heading to Flathead Lake, Montana. Lake Mead is just one of a string of huge reservoirs on the Colorado that have been colonized with non-native mussels. In the West, quagga/zebra mussels have populated Arizona, Nevada, Utah and California costing those states millions every year to manage.

In Idaho, it is illegal to transport aquatic invasive species. While quagga/zebra mussels pose the largest threat at this point, the beauty of the inspection stations is that they tackle all species of concern: Eurasian watermilfoil, curlyleaf pondweed, flowering rush, Asian clams and Chinese mystery snails.

If you have thoughts of bypassing these mandatory stations, think again.

“Sheriff’s deputies are steadily pulling over drivers carrying watercraft who don’t stop,” McCahon said.

The only watercraft exempt from inspection are inflatables smaller than 10 feet.

“While this may seem like an inconvenience, it is a very small price to pay for the pristine waters we are lucky enough to jump into on these hot days. The fishing’s not bad either,” said McCahon.

There are three inspection stations in Bonner County — the Samuels service station, the Albeni Falls Dam visitor center and in Clark Fork. The stations are open from dawn to dusk (5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.).

By state law, no person shall proceed past or travel through an established inspection station during hours of operation while towing, carrying or transporting any conveyance without presenting such conveyance for inspection.

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What can locals do?

Please take the time to thoroughly Clean, Drain and Dry your watercraft and equipment. Aquatic organisms need water to survive. Moving invasive plants and animals within Idaho waterways is also a serious concern. For instance, we have flowering rush in Lake Pend Oreille, but not in Priest Lake.