By Ken Koerner
Register Staff

4-19-2008

Seeking to prevent the contamination of Eastern Sierra waters by small aquatic organisms is turning out to be a huge undertaking ahead of this season’s fishing opener.
Determined to do all they can to prevent the spread of invasive Zebra and Quagga mussels into the waters of Crowley Lake, the Los Angeles Department and Water will require a physical inspection of every boat before it’s allowed access to the popular destination for local and visiting anglers.
Native to the Caspian Sea and Ukraine region of the former Soviet Union, the mussels have wreaked havoc in the eastern portion of the nation by clogging water pipes and equipment in power plants and municipal water systems. They are able to do this through a colonizing pattern that begins with a single mussel attaching to a hard surface, and then other mussels joining in and clinging to each other. Depending on environmental conditions, it’s possible for a single mussel to produce as many as a million larvae offspring annually.

Since the release of these invaders into the Great Lakes via trans-oceanic ships some 20 years ago, they have spread widely across the eastern United States, including the entire length of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers – and more recently have invaded western waters, too.
The mandatory boat inspections now being instituted for Crowley Lake result from the substantial presence of Zebra and Quagga Mussels having been detected in  17 different lakes and reservoirs down south, including Lake Havasu and Lake Mead, as well as adjacent stretches of the Colorado River and the Colorado Aqueduct that feeds into Los Angeles.

The only bivalves in the U.S. known to attach to hard surfaces, Zebra and Quagga mussels further colonize by clinging to each other. This mussel-encrusted Gatorade container was found in Lake Mead. Photo by Ken Koerner

Nationally, it’s estimated that mitigation measures related to the mussels’ presence in water systems have already cost more than $7 billion in the eastern U.S. In southern California, the Metropolitan Water District spent more than a $1 million last year alone dealing with mussel-created problems.
Since Crowley Lake is a sizeable component within LADWP’s water-delivery system and can easily be used by boat owners that have been in mussel-contaminated waters down south, preventing the spread of the invasive species at Crowley is deemed a crucial line of defense.
“It is critical that we take proactive steps to protect Crowley Lake from the spread of invasive mussels while allowing the public to enjoy fishing and other recreational opportunities on Crowley,” LADWP Chief Executive Officer and General Manager David Nahai said. “We know that thousands of people enjoy Crowley each year for its excellent fishing and other boating-related activities, and we understand how important Crowley is the the local Eastern Sierra economy. Our staff is working to insure the inspection program goes as smoothly as possible with the least amount of inconvenience to boaters.”
In an effort to limit that potential “inconvenience to boaters,” while also protecting Crowley from the possible introduction of these mussels, the LADWP has conducted special boat inspection training sessions for local employees, marina operators and staff from other public agencies.
“We’re working with Crowley Lake Fish Camp in order to have as many inspectors available as possible to limit delays and inconvenience at Crowley,” LADWP Land and Resource Manager Clarence Martin said, “and we’ve also made arrangements to offer pre-opener boat inspections at our Bishop office on Monday and Tuesday (April 21-22) from 8 a.m.-3 p.m.  and at the Bishop Von’s parking lot on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (April 23-25) from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. each of those days.”
LADWP will employ a two-stage process with each boat and owner. First will be a “Boat Use Survey” to determine where and when a boat has been recently used. Step Two will be the physical inspection of the vessel to verify no mussels “have hitched a ride.”
The estimated time required for the inspection process will vary depending upon the type of boat and its history. Boat owners should expect spending a minimum of 20 minutes to twice that long, depending on their particular vessel, according to Martin. Currently, there is no fee charged for the inspections.
Hoping to alert as many past users of Crowley Lake as possible, the LADWP has mailed out 5,000 flyers to past clients of Crowley letting them know to anticipate the required inspection upon their next visit.
“The best approach a boat owner can take ahead of getting an inspection,” said Martin, “is to make certain their boat and trailer is absolutely dry and clean – and that means no standing water in the bilge, holding tanks or wherever. If a boat is brought for inspection and it isn’t dry, it will be immediately rejected until such time as it is.”
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, Mussel Outreach and Education Coordinator Bill Zook, led the inspection training workshops held at the Tri-County Fairgrounds this week.
“I’ve done more than 30 of these training workshops around the western U.S.,” Zook said. “I’ve done 12 in California just in the last nine months. So, at this point, I’ve probably trained at least 1,000 people in California and about 1,500 across the western U.S.”
 Beyond the pre-opener schedule, boat  inspections will also be available at the Bishop LADWP office throughout the fishing season, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Inspection of boats will also be offered during the fishing season at Crowley Lake, every day from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
For more information about boat inspections, contact the LADWP at (760) 872-1104, or visit the Web site at www.LADWP.com/mussels.