Boat inspection stations to open

Most mandatory watercraft inspection stations will open between March 15 and April 2 under a state program aimed at keeping invasive species out of area lakes and streams.

The first station in the state to open will be westbound on Interstate 90 near Cataldo on March 15.

The stations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week.

The station at eastbound Interstate 90 at Huetter and a new station on Highway 53 just inside the state line will open on April 1 for Fridays and the weekends only until May 15, when they'll be open all week.

The Highway 53 station replaces one in Garwood from last year to more effectively screen watercraft entering from the greater Spokane area, said Matt Voile of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture. Garwood attracted primarily in-state boaters or those who had already stopped at another station.

Two other North Idaho stations - at Oldtown and Samuels - will open May 16.

All of the area stations will be open through Sept. 9.

Voile said the stations can open earlier this year because the number of stations statewide have dropped from 20 to 16 as the state has further identified priority areas where out-of-state watercraft are common.

"They'll be open an average of 165 days this year compared to 119 days last year," he said.

The program inspected about 44,000 watercraft last year. Eight boats were found infested with invasive species.

Watercraft inspectors will be looking for high-risk boats that have been in states with quagga and zebra mussels and other invasive species. All boats will be inspected for any attached mussels and/or standing water. Owners also will be asked where they have boated in the previous 30 days.

It is important that boaters arrive in Idaho with a clean, drained and dry watercraft, state officials said.

"Idaho's inspection program underscores the importance of preventing these mussels from becoming established in Idaho," Agriculture Director Celia Gould said. "If introduced, these mussels could impact Idaho's water bodies and recreation and likely impose a heavy maintenance burden on irrigated agriculture, power generation and water suppliers."

The mussels range in size from microscopic to the size of a fingernail, depending on the life stage. They are prolific breeders and attach themselves to hard and soft surfaces, fouling freshwater ecosystems and clogging intake pipes drawing water from infested water bodies. They cause significant maintenance challenges for raw-water systems, costing millions of dollars a year to treat.

Although populations have been widespread in the Great Lakes for almost two decades, the mussels were found for the first time west of the Continental Divide in the past three years, specifically in parts of Nevada, California, Arizona, Colorado and Utah.

Boats are the primary transporters of zebra mussels and quagga mussels. Mussels attached to watercraft or trailers can easily be transported to other water bodies.

The inspection program is funded by dollars from the Invasive Species Sticker Fund. All watercraft are required to have a sticker. Stickers cost $10 for in-state motorized boats, $20 for out-of-state motorized boats and $5 for non-motorized vessels. A $2 vendor fee is not included.

For more information about the program, contact Voile at (208) 332-8667 or Matt.voile@agri.idaho.gov.