LAKE COUNTY ? Four quagga mussel wash stations sit unused at the Lake County Central Garage, where they have been since the Lake County Board of Supervisors purchased them more than a year ago.
Lake County Deputy Administrative Officer Jeff Rein said the Administrative Department purchased them for $78,579.89 in March 2008, and the board of supervisors declared all four stations surplus Feb. 24. He said he”s acting under the only direction given by the board to this point, which is to sell the machines at 75 percent of their original cost. The difference means a more than a $20,000 loss.
“Any county property that”s no longer needed for county purposes has to be disposed of, and it automatically becomes surplus,” Rein said.
The wash stations are equipped with two 225-gallon water tanks apiece and an oil burner that heats the water to 140 degrees in order to kill any quagga or zebra mussels or larvae found on a vessel to prevent the spread of the invasive species into Clear Lake.
“That”s hot enough to scald human flesh,” Lake County Water Resources Program Manager Carolyn Ruttan said.
Ruttan said the company that sold the stations to Lake County, Hydro Engineering, Inc., requires operators to undergo training the company provides.
Public Works Director Brent Siemer said his Water Resources Division has been involved in the purchase and sale process only to a limited extent, doing research about where to purchase the machines and recommending potential buyers.
Siemer said the wash stations are being sold because the state Department of Fish and Game (DFG) announced its intention last summer to quarantine boats found to contain the mussel or its larvae, rather than decontaminate the boats at the wash stations.
Lakeport City Councilwoman Suzanne Lyons said she recently spoke to a DFG scientist who recommended that two wash stations stay in Lake County, one in Lakeport.
Boats are currently required to obtain a quagga mussel inspection sticker prior to launch. Stickers can be obtained at area retailers, where the boat owner is first asked if the boat has been in quagga-infested waters recently. Siemer said if a physical inspection is required and mussels or larvae are found, the DFG would prohibit the boat from launching for a period of time.
Siemer said the question becomes what to do if the inspector doesn”t find the mussel, but still has reason to believe the boat may be a risk to the lake without decontamination.
Rein said the County of Los Angeles is offering $65,000 for all four stations. He said he is hoping Los Angeles will wait for confirmation of the sale until next Tuesday, which he said would give the city of Lakeport time to decide whether it wants to keep a station and make a request of the board of supervisors.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
