State line boat inspections and water ballast

[walt]

In another thread Sumner asked about Zebra mussels in Lake Havasu and I know they are there but that is about it. They dont seem to cause me any problem at all, in all the time Ive spent here, Ive only even seen them one time and we were looking for them snorkeling.

However, at least in the West US, a bunch of states have state line boat inspections and Im wondering what people have experienced moving water ballast boats. Last summer I car topped a Hobie TI and went through some inspections which was easy but I have not done this with the Mac. The states that I know of
California - about any road into the state has a state line water craft inspection.
Utah - I15 has a WC inspection at both ends. However I understand Lake Powell no longer inspects (for Page area??) ??
Idaho I15 has a WC inspection
Oregon - state line WC inspection
Colorado - no state line inspection (yet??) but inspections at pretty much all the lakes
Arizona - no inspections that I know of (none for Havasu or Mohave)
Nevada - no inspection at state line plus I dont think an inspection at Lake Mead

Sumner, how about your route to Florida?

 

[Sumner]

We got inspected in Idaho but at that time they had just started and it was mostly volunteers I think and they didn't really understand water ballast boat so no real inspection. There was a place just in Idaho off of I15 but no one was manning it. We were inspected at Lake Pend Oreille, but then didn't put in there. They had tagged the boat in such a way to the trailer that when we got to Priest Lake we didn't have to get inspected before we put in and broke the seal there, but if I think back on it I don't think anyone was there anyway.

At Lake Powell we were never inspected once we told them how long the boat had been out of the water. Not aware of any inspections going east from my place on the way to Florida.

Sumner
============================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/endeavour-main/endeavour-index.html
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida, Bahamas

 

[walt]

Not aware of any inspections going east from my place on the way to Florida.

Thanks and good!! I think your travel between Utah and Florida would have been just in this last year also so up to date. Maybe the WC inspection is mostly limited to the states I mentioned. The water craft inspection on I 15 just before Saint George Utah just started this last year. This is at the truck weigh station which has been there for many years but now if you are pulling any sort of water craft you also have to pull in for an inspection. I think the issue with any of these lakes on the Colorado river that have Zebra (all of them now.. Powell, Mead, Mohave, Havasu) isnt so much the problem you have when you are at the lake as I dont even notice them at all, its when you go to leave. On the other hand, the lakes on the Colorado river are all now very easy to go between. And maybe if you have followed the rules about the boat being clean and dry, the inspections may not a problem anyhow.. I just dont know

 

[Sumner]

A map of where they are found now ....

http://fl.biology.usgs.gov/Nonindig...l_distribution/zebra_mussel_distribution.html

... with the effected waters state by state. I'm not optimistic about them stopping the spread to any place where they are able to survive. People make long trips with their boat and might try and circumvent inspection if they felt they couldn't put the boat in the water once there and the inspections are probably not fool proof. There are also a lot of power boats that pull skiers that have ballast tanks so that they produce a larger wake wave. The mussels are mentioned here at the end of the video...

Sumner
==================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/endeavour-main/endeavour-index.html
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida, Bahamas

 

[willsnow]

Before I left Utah, I had to swap the boat onto the new trailer. The closest reservoir happened to be infested. While they cleaned the boat off, I asked about water ballast. I think the guy there understood what I was describing, and basically said it was impossible to clean any mussels out of there, and I would have to ensure the boat didn't get launched for 15 days - to make sure they were dead. He attached a tag between the bow eye and trailer.
Crossing the Idaho line (less than 15 days later) I just told them I was moving to Washington and wasn't going anywhere near the lakes of Idaho. There was no inspection, other than them checking out the tag that had been attached to the boat/trailer.
And yeah, I agree with you, Sumner... I think it is truly up to responsible boat owners to stop the spread. I'd say most people inspecting boats don't necessarily know what they're looking for

 

[Sumner]

....I think the guy there understood what I was describing, and basically said it was impossible to clean any mussels out of there, and I would have to ensure the boat didn't get launched for 15 days - to make sure they were dead.....

I believe that some places have the capability to fill a tank with hot water...

"* These water temperatures will kill zebra mussels and some other AIS: 120°F for at least 2 minutes; or 140°F for at least 10 seconds."
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/preventspread_watercraft.html

Walt does/did Colorado do this? Of course for our ballast tanks I think that is about 120 gallons of hot water,

Sumner
===============================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/endeavour-main/endeavour-index.html
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida, Bahamas

 

[Freedom77]

Zebra Mussels are disaster of biblical proportions on Lake Mead. Helped a friend haul out to go to Wyoming and they did a cavity search on his boat. Don't know if it is as bad as Powell or other Colorado River lakes??