Colorado Warns Boaters: Don't Bring Mussel-Infested Boats Back From Lake Powell

(CBS4) - Colorado officials trying to prevent invasive mussels from getting in the state's lakes are reminding boaters that they could accidentally carry the harmful species in from other states if they aren't careful. Colorado Parks and Wildlife sent out a warning on Tuesday that Lake Powell and many other popular boating spots outside the state's borders have been known to be mussel-infested for several years.

All of the following states are struggling with the presence of the invasive mussels, according to CPW: Utah, Arizona, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and South Dakota. Colorado currently is not.

"As boating season approaches we continue to ask for help from boat owners in maintaining our mussel-free status," Robert Walters, CPW's invasive species program manager, said in a prepared statement.

RELATED: CPW Urging Pet Stores To Remove Betta Buddy Marimo Balls Due To Zebra Mussels

Quagga mussels or zebra mussels could wreak havoc on aquatic ecosystems if they were brought in on boats from out of state and were to enter Colorado's waterways. The wide-ranging impacts could be both ecological and economic.

"Mussels are filter feeders and what they're primarily feeding on is vital plankton that are in the water body. These are the basis of our aquatic food chain so if you eat out the basis of our aquatic food web, that is ultimately going to have implications on all of the higher species as well," Walters said in an interview with CBS4 earlier this year. "From an economic perspective, zebra and quagga mussels attach themselves to surfaces, which can have significant detriment on our aquatic infrastructure, things like our dams, hydroelectric facilities, which can lead to significant maintenance costs."

Just like in 2020, state officials are expecting a rise in the number of people eager to get out on the water. It's what CPW describes as a "large influx of outdoor recreation Colorado has experienced since the start of the pandemic." The state does inspections on all boats going into Colorado lakes and reservoirs, and boaters must tell inspectors if their boat has been out of state. Last year, in part because of the increased interest in boating, there was a spike in the number of boats that needed to be decontaminated.

Boat inspections are the best defense because they prevent the mussels from ever entering the water, but Walters stressed the importance of "preventive actions to make sure ... we remain free of this invasive species."

Boaters can help by learning how to do their own inspections as well as how to identify invasive species. It's important that they clean, drain and dry their boats after every use and check their trailers and hard-to-reach spots on the boats and on the engines for evidence of mussels.

CPW LINK: Zebra & Quagga Mussel Information

Boaters must now buy an Aquatic Nuisance Species stamp when registering a boat in Colorado. The stamp provides approximately half of the funding for the Aquatic Nuisance Species Program, which includes watercraft inspection and decontamination, as well as monitoring of state waters.

In addition to nearby states to Colorado, most Midwestern and East Coast states also have mussel-infested waters.