quagga mussels

[DREW22]

How can a body of water (Sand Hollow) be on the infested list for quagga mussels, then after four years, it is off of the list? How can an invasive species with microscopic larva disappear? Boats aren't even going to be rinsed as they leave. Anyone have any info on how this happened? Because I don't think it can be true.
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[utahfishman]

They were never there in the first place. An adult mussel was found on a boat a few years ago, so they deemed it contaminated. Since then they never found evidence of infestation.
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[BeermaN]

After 4 years, if there were any mussels in that lake they would have been obvious every time the water level fluctuated. There would have been mussels showing on both dams, rock cliffs, rocky shorelines, in short the entire lake. In short, there never were qugga mussels in Sand Hollow. They got their new maintenance building and what ever else they could score with the false quagga scare. Thankfully we can now move on.
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[DREW22]

I thought the adult mussel was found by a diver on a pillar for a dock?
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[wiperhunter2]

I thought that was Powell where they found them on the dock[:/].
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[dubob]

[quote BeermaN]They got their new maintenance building and what ever else they could score with the false quagga scare.[/quote][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]Yea, right, just another example of the DWR conspiring to scam the public.[/size][/#800000][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3] Give me a break. [/size][/#800000][/font][crazy]
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[LOAH]

In related news, I'm told by the DWR that Electric Lake will no longer be defined as an "Affected Water" and we'll be able to use its minnows in other waters again!

Woot!
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[Fowl-Hook]

Any Idea if Red Fleet is actually infected or not?
This reservoir seemed so unlikely for contamination being so far from infected water, and really not a High Use destination.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]My understanding is that the early testing methods may have been too sensitive to microminimal traces of the proteins that indicated the presence of the mussel larvae. Always better to err on the side of caution but after no further positive readings...or actual mussel sightings...some of the original "infected" lakes have been downgraded in ratings.

Likely we will have new written clarification and listings soon. Too bad they can't wish away the problems in Lake Powell and other lakes along the Colorado River. A lot more potential for infestations in our other waters now...with all the anglers who hit Powell...especially without mandatory decontamination after a boat leaves the water.
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[PBH]

[quote TubeDude][#0000ff] A lot more potential for infestations in our other waters now...with all the anglers who hit Powell...especially without mandatory decontamination after a boat leaves the water.
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Just a small technicality: mandatory decontamination IS REQUIRED BY LAW.
for any watercraft that has been on a contaminated body of water.
[url "http://www.rules.utah.gov/publicat/code/r657/r657-060.htm#T5"]http://www.rules.utah.gov/...r657/r657-060.htm#T5[/url]

What is NOT required is a PROFESSIONAL decontamination. (Self decontamination via clean, drain, dry is allowed)

Whether or not the NPS pulls their heads out and requires a full professional decontamination is yet to be determined. I hope they start doing it.

Boaters need to remember that BY LAW they ARE required to decontaminate their boats after boating on a contaminated water. Clean, drain, dry.
[url "http://wildlife.utah.gov/invasive-mussels.html"]http://wildlife.utah.gov/invasive-mussels.html[/url]
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]"Mandatory" was perhaps not the best word I could have used. Mandatory and/or required by law are terms either not understood or outright ignored by far too many Utah doofii (plural of doofus). The bucket biologists are prime examples.

Even if we substitute "structured", "operational", "administered" and "universal" there would be some who would lay awake nights trying to figure out a way around the system.

I suspect there is a whole lot of scrambling going on amongst the NPS folks to save face and to save jobs. Hopefully they can institute adequate damage control measures to reduce the fallout.
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[PBH]

[quote TubeDude][#0000ff]"Mandatory" was perhaps not the best word I could have used. [/#0000ff]
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[left]Like I said, a technicality. But it is an important technicality.
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[/#0000ff][#0000ff][quote TubeDude]
I suspect there is a whole lot of scrambling going on amongst the NPS folks... to save jobs. Hopefully they can institute adequate damage control measures to reduce the fallout.
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I don't see any lost jobs at all. I imagine much of what is happening currently is simple politics. Right now funding at Powell is slated towards "prevention" and thus can only be spent to prevent mussels. Once the politics have run their course I would guess that the funding will be marked to include "maintenance", "isolation", or any other term necessary that allows the funding to be used for a reason other than keeping mussels out of Lake Powell. I'm guessing this is why cleanings are not currently happening upon request when boats leave -- the funding isn't allowed to spent cleaning boats leaving the lake, but rather only for cleaning boats coming to the lake. Politics. Jobs won't be going away.
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[Fowl-Hook]

The solutions now being taken to contain Invasive Mussels to currently Infected waters are Misguided and Doomed to failure. Placing resources at the hundreds of locations that have no contamination with staff unfamiliar and unwilling to be distracted from there regular duties produces a pitiful outcome for those requiring a boat decontamination.
Equipment and 24 hr staff should be located at the Entrance/Exit of every Infected location. Every watercraft should get decontaminated when leaving these locations, quickly and efficiently with the least impact to the boating public.
No honer system dilemma created at hundreds of uninfected statewide locations hoping boaters will subject themselves to delay and disappointment from the services available to decontaminate at Invasive free locations.
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[dtayboyz]

The pwcs will sneak by and that is how they'll spread. The users of pwcs have already stated they disregard check stations.
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[Fowl-Hook]

That would also be eliminated if every watercraft including PWCS were decontaminated when leaving infected waters.
24 hr fast and efficient service when exiting contaminated water would likely cost less than dedicating resources across hundreds of uncontaminated water locations.
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[PBH]

Dog-lover -- I completely agree. I hope that at some point in the very near future that mandatory cleaning with high-temperature water is enforced for every water craft leaving an infected water. Obviously, that day is not yet here. There are significant challenges with this scenario. I hope they are overcome.


I am happy that the State is working towards bolstering their inspections. One major problem the State is facing is the agency currently in charge: UDWR. Why is this the only agency faced with preventing the TRANSPORTATION of this invasive species that threatens WATER QUALITY? Multiple agencies should have been tackling this issue together from the start -- but that didn't happen. Multiple agencies need to work together to prevent further infestations.

Many think that eventually all waters in Utah will become infested. I do not share this view. I fear those with vested interests in our reservoirs (ie: irrigation owners) will simply close those bodies of water to recreational use. Their investment is at stake, and they'll do whatever they see as necessary to prevent the transport of these species to their systems.
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[Fowl-Hook]

I fail to understand spending resources and time decontaminating boats entering known contaminated waters.
The goal should be to stop the spread of invasive species to additional waters. Every unit leaving contaminated waters should be decontaminated before leaving.
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[RockyRaab]

The present system was designed to prevent contamination of Powell. But that's a bit like forcing employees to wash their hands before using the bathroom. Now that quaggas have "musselled in" anyway, it is time to change strategies.

Goobermint wheels grind slowly, but very finely. They'll eventually come up with a mandatory program that's as intrusive as it is effective. Some few boaters will refuse to cooperate just because they don't want to be bothered. The "I just wanna..." syndrome is harder to eradicate than guaggas. Unfortunately.
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[Fowl-Hook]

[quote Dog-lover]Any Idea if Red Fleet is actually infected or not?
This reservoir seemed so unlikely for contamination being so far from infected water, and really not a High Use destination.[/quote]

Anybody Know?
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[TubeDude]

[#0000ff]No specific reports I can cite but from what I have been told, it is like some of the other "questionable" lakes on the list. Water tests showed the potential presence of vilagers (larvae) but there have been no actual mussels found...or actual live larvae.

Not sure how many years after the initial positive tests we have to wait until it gets a clearance...like Electric. Hopefully there is really not an infestation. But best to err on the side of caution.

Better than suddenly finding live adults on all the rocks and docks.

EDIT: I spent a little time looking through the DWR website and found a page that lists Utah waters and the results of invasive species testing...year by year since 2007. Red Fleet shows a positive test in 2008 but nothing since. [url "http://wildlife.utah.gov/affected-waters.html"]LINK TO WEB PAGE[/url]
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