Boaters

Decontamination Procedures

Inspect - Thoroughly inspect your boat’s hull, drive unit, trim plates, trimming plates, prop guards, transducers, anchor and anchor rope and trailer. Scrape off and trash any organisms, however small found. Remove all water weeds hanging from boat or trailer. Inspection and removal of marine growth is required and appreciated to protect the lake’s environment.

Drain - Drain all bilge water, live wells. Bait buckets and any other water from your boat and equipment upland. Trash leftover bait at the boat launch site; leftover live aquatic bait should not be dumped into a water body or taken from one water body to another.

Wash - Thoroughly flush the hull, drive unit, live wells (and live well pumping system), bilge, trailer, bait buckets, engine cooling water system, and other boat parts that got wet while in infested waters, using a hard spray from a garden hose. If you boat was in other water bodies for a long period of time or if you found any adult mussels or other organisms, use HOT (140F) water instead of cold, or tow the boat through a do-it-yourself carwash and use the high pressure hot water to "de-alien" your boat. Do not use environmentally unsound washing solutions.

Dry - Dry after boating. Boats and trailers should be allowed to dry thoroughly in the sun for 2 to 4 days before being launched into other waters.

Divers

Diving Activity Can Spread Alien Aquatic Species. Microscopic zebra mussel larvae (veligers) and other small organisms can be trapped and transported in nearly any piece of diving or snorkeling equipment, including buoyancy compensators and wetsuits.

Decontamination Procedures

Between dives in different water bodies, submerge ALL equipment in hot tap water (110F or greater for at least 10 minutes. (A cold water rinse away from water bodies, storm drains, and plumbing drains is the less desirable second choice.)

 

Fishermen

Decontamination Procedures

Drain all bilge water, live wells, bait buckets and waste upland after fishing.

Destroy and dispose of all live bait. Do not dump leftover bait into any waterbody.

Remove all weeds and other debris from down rigger lines, nets and any other equipment.

Allow all tackle and equipment to dry for a 2 to 4 days.

Dry nets or soak them in hot water (at least 110F) for at least 10 minutes.