In the first part of this commentary, published July 28 in the Record-Bee, the focus was on the economic damage infestation by the quagga mussel would cause.
How do we prevent the quagga mussel and the zebra mussel from invading the waterways of Lake County? With terrorism we have to be right 100 percent of the time, the bad guys only have to be right once. So it is with preventing infestation. It only takes one contaminated watercraft, so we have to be on guard 100 percent of the time. Along with the county, the Clear Lake Foundation recommends the following: First, if you own a watercraft, “clean and dry” is the primary principle. Even if you have already obtained a “clearance sticker,” if your boat has been on any other body of water it must be clean and dry for a period of time and be re-inspected. Call the county at 263-2556 for more information. Second, if your watercraft has ballast tanks (bladders) or live bait wells, they must be flushed, and it is recommended that they be flushed with a chlorine solution. Third, never discharge water from the ballast tanks or live bait wells that comes from another water body into any waterway in Lake County. Fourth, be proactive. Talk about it with others and explain the importance of obtaining clearance stickers to boaters who may not be aware of the county”s inspection program. Fifth, report immediately to the sheriff”s department any boater you observe without the required clearance stickers by phoning 263-2690. The county, the cities of Clearlake and Lakeport, the Lake County Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Clear Lake Foundation are mounting expanding public awareness programs with respect to the inspection process. Therefore, the sheriff”s department has instituted a zero tolerance policy with violators of the inspection program.
There is one more very important pro-active action you can take. Write your legislators. We all know these are difficult budget times. That has limited the amount of help state and federal agencies have been able to provide. We have been left to essentially go it alone. It takes money to fund the inspection program. It takes money to fund a public awareness program. Because of the lack of funding, the inspection program in Lake County has largely had to rely on the “honor system.” In other words, the program has had to rely on the honesty of the vessel owner as to where the vessel has been. Ultimately, a much more robust, forced, statewide inspection program will likely be necessary. That expense is why Lake County had to abandon the idea of forced highway inspection checkpoints at the four “highway chokepoints” leading into Lake County waterways. However, as illustrated in Part I of this commentary, the cost of not implementing a forced statewide inspection program will be far greater. Therefore, it is essential that we, the ultimate payers of mussel infestation, demand that our representatives in Sacramento and Washington, D. C. take the problem seriously and fund the necessary programs.
Peter MacRae is the executive director of the Clear Lake Foundation.
