LAKE COUNTY — All Lake County residents who keep a boat in the county will be required to take a written test before being issued a 2012 quagga mussel sticker.
The test will consist of 12 true or false questions that pertain to the quagga mussel and how to prevent it from getting into the waters in Lake County.
According to Carolyn Ruttan, Water Resources Invasive Species Coordinator, the purpose of the test, which only applies to resident boat owners, is to make the public aware of the danger of the quagga mussels infesting Clear Lake and other waters in Lake County.
Ruttan said that all 12 questions must be answered correctly to receive a boat sticker. However, there are no limits to the number of times a person can take the test. Each applicant will be given a information pamphlet to study prior to taking the test. She said that all the screening stations have the test and will assist the boaters who have trouble taking the test. According to Ruttan, the test will not be available online.
“Our primary goal is to make the resident boaters aware of the danger of transporting the mussel or its larvae and we believe the test will accomplish that,” Ruttan said. “Those boaters who have already received their 2012 sticker won”t be required to take the test until they renew their sticker in 2013,” she added.
Once the boater passes the test and receives a 2012 sticker it will be valid for the calendar year. The cost of the sticker is $10. Lake County residents won”t be required to bring their boats to the screening station but need only to bring in proof that their boats are registered in Lake County. The fine for being cited and convicted for not having a current quagga mussel sticker is $1,000 plus court costs which can add up to a total of $2,700.
