Lake Tahoe roadside boat inspection stations open Thursday for season

Headed up to Lake Tahoe for some spring boating? Most roadside stations for inspections and decontaminations of motorized boats and watercraft will begin Thursday, kicking off the 2014 boating season.

A station at Highway 267 south of Truckee will open May 22. Because of budget constraints, the station at Homewood is closed.

“Boat inspections are critical to maintaining the health of Lake Tahoe and our local recreation-based economy,” said Dennis Zabaglo, TRPA’s AIS program coordinator. “Through the efforts of the Tahoe Resource Conservation District’s well-trained inspectors and other private and public partners committed to the Lake, we expect to have another successful season.”

All motorized boats and watercraft require inspection for aquatic invasive species prior to launching into Lake Tahoe. Invasive species, such as Quagga mussels, New Zealand mudsnails or hydrilla, are known to multiply quickly and colonize underwater surfaces, including docks and piers, water supply and filtration systems, buoys, moored boats and even the beautiful rocky shoreline.

They destroy fish habitat, ruin boat engines and can negatively impact water quality and the local economy, recreation and ecosystem.

Boats and other watercraft are the largest transporters of AIS, and the inspection program is critical to preventing their spread into Lake Tahoe and other water bodies. Knowingly transporting AIS into Lake Tahoe is against the law, and violators may be subject to monetary penalties.

Locations, hours of operation and opening dates are as follows:

Opening Thursday May 1:
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., 7 days a week
— Meyers: at the junction of US 50 and Highway 89
— Spooner Summit: at the junction of US 50 and Highway 28 in Nevada
— Alpine Meadows: Highway 89, off Alpine Meadows Road north of Tahoe City

Opening Thursday May 22:
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Thursday-Sunday, CLOSED Monday-Wednesday
— Northstar: Highway 267, at Northstar Drive south of Truckee

“Boaters are encouraged to Clean, Drain, and Dry their boats prior to arriving at inspection stations in order to save time and money,” said Nicole Cartwright, Watercraft Inspection Program Administrator for the Tahoe RCD. “Make sure to drain and dry all water, even water from your garden hose used to flush. Taking these three simple steps will get you on the water faster.”

Annual watercraft inspection fees remain unchanged from 2013. The “Tahoe In and Out” sticker ranges from $35 for personal watercraft and vessels under 17 feet and up to $121 for vessels over 39 feet.

The “Tahoe Only” sticker fee is $30. An additional fee of $35 is being charged for any boat requiring decontamination and an additional $10 fee for the decontamination of ballast tanks or bags.

For more information on aquatic invasive species prevention, control and early detection join us for our Spring Public Forum. The event is located this year at the Tahoe Environmental Research Center located in Incline Village, NV on May 22 from 5:30- 7:30 p.m. Event details can be found by visiting TahoeBoatInspections.com or call (888) 824-6267 for updates, details and information.

The Watercraft Inspection Program is part of the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Program which is implemented by 40 public and private partner organizations including federal, state and local jurisdictions, research partners, public utility districts, and private marinas.

The state, federal and local agencies comprising the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinating Committee have provided leadership, direction and resources to fulfill this program’s mission of prevention, detection and control of aquatic invasive species in the Lake Tahoe Region.

The Tahoe Resource Conservation District’s (Tahoe RCD) mission is to promote the conservation and improvement of the Lake Tahoe Basin’s soil, water and related natural resources by providing leadership, information, programs, and technical assistance to all land managers, owners, organizations, and residents.

The Tahoe RCD is a non-regulatory, grant funded, public agency that works with a variety of partner agencies to
implement projects, programs and outreach which currently focus on erosion control, runoff infiltration, terrestrial and aquatic invasive species control, and conservation landscaping.