Quagga Mussels

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Down here in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, CA counties we have a new government ordinance. You cannot launch your boat on lakes without first having the bottom sprayed with a very high pressure 140 deg. jet spray to eliminate "quagga mussels'. My concern is damage to the bottom of the boat, decals and any paint. Ant comments? Thanks,

Zelpha (named after a small 1st grade girl with older bothers. Her answer tp "How do you defend yourself?" was "I fight dirty".
 
The mussels came from the Ukraine in ships ballast water to the Greart Lakes a number of years ago. There has been a concern about Western Lakes being poluted the Quagga and Zebra Muscles, and any Eastern Boats, and if the boat had been in potentionally contaminated waters in the last month, boats launched at Lake Powell, were required to have the bottom hot pressure washed. Jan 2007 the mussels were found in Lake Meade. This January the muscles were found in San Justo Reservoir in San Benito County, California... Additionally Lake Mohave, Lake
Havasu, and the Colorado River Drainage below these lakes have been known to be infected. There were some Larvae found last summer in Powell. The muscles grow very prolifercately and plug up water intakes and wreck damage on the canals and pumping stations. They also are filter feeders and can alter the food supplies on the affected lakes.

The bottom wash is somewhat misguided, since thearval form can exist in bilge water--may actually be a better vector of transmission that the external part of the boat. Also bait tanks, engine cooling systems, waders, trailer box frames, and ropes etc. Dry heat and letting the boat dry well will prevent growth of the mussels. High pressure washing on raw gelcoat in the 3000 to 3500 PSI range can damage the surface of the gel coat. If the boat is bottom painted, there is some damage to the bottom paint. The older the paint the more damage..However, it is routine to pressure wash the hulls of boats which are hauled for bottom painting.

I personally do not pressure wash my boats, with one exception--that is an old dinghy which has some chalking of the gelcoat already. If there is any grit of debris on the surface of the boat, the pressure washing may cause some abrasion., The hot water is not a probelm--if the pressure high, the chance of damage is increased. I don't think you have any choice--the rules are in place and if you want to use the boat it will have to be washed.
 
A cousin species of zebra mussel was recently found on a boat recently launched in La Conner that was trucked up from, I believe, Louisiana. Scary.

Warren
 
Thanks Bob and Warren. That is just what we have been told. Too bad. I will try and see what happens. Incidentally Bob, Bayou Tahar (spelling I forgot) was so polluted in the 1940's that ear infections were common when we used to Water Ski there in a Higgins small boat after they quit building PT boats after the war. There were no houses on the upper bayou (beyond Paradise Pt.). Johnson 10 HP was the motor of choice (Killingers). The yacht club was at the end of Palofox and we raced "Fish Class Sailboats all along the West Cost of Florida from New Orleans to St Petersberg. Ft Walton was a wide place in the road and Destin was mostly beach. That Gulf Bridge crossing water to the Choctawhatchee the was the most beautiful in the world. After the war they brought empty cargo boats into Pensacola Bay (empty) and blocked off all our wind when racing. One broke loose and took out about 100 ft of Pensacola Brridge. It then got up steam and came back thru the opening, It was a long way to Pensacola Beach Casino thru Milton for many months. Best, Ze[pha
 
Zelha,
Thanks for the comments. Bayou Texar (Spanish) is often still polluted, as are many other of the water bodies, mostly due to run off or speptic tanks. (Some areas are better and some are worse than in the 40's) But animals, ducks are also implicated. PYC moved to a waterfront Manson in 1948, near where the old Bayou Chico draw bridge was (now a high rise bridge). There is a "Fish" by the front entrance, and there are a few Fish class boats (basically similar to a Star, but smaller and heavier) still racing--the Gulf Yachting assoication still sponsers races in Fish. The beaches--well they are still here, but getting to them, is a problem because of some of the condos. The bridges can still be a problem--as in after Ivan when I 10 was closed for almost a year.
 
Zelpha

They just relaxed the closure at Casitas-- but it looks like you will have to wait and have your boat inspected for 10 days before getting to launch.
Cachuma opted to do the power wash instead of close the lake.
I talked with Mitch, at Cachuma, and he was against closing the lake. He said that he had to agree for the washing in order to keep the lake open.

What boat do you have? I was talking with Ron at Boaters World and he said there was another 22' in SB.
 
Now there is a problem with what to do with the wash water waste. There is also the thought of closing all the lakes to all boats in the area. Also, fishing lures can carry the eggs etc. Most of our water down here originates in the Sacramento river area (fresh water). Think also of Lake Tahoe. Migrating ducks. Washington, Oregan and all of the western lakes will shortly acquire the mussels. These current solutions are all short term and very expensive to implement. Also boat manufacturers (think Bayliner) and suppliers. Much effort (money) should be spent on a permanent rather than short term solutions (which will not work). A bass tournament is scheduled the next few weeks at Lake Santa Margarita and all hell is breaking loose. It is the Front page topic on the local paper today. Sad!
 
Zelpha":l5in0h0n said:
< Some discussion clipped>

Most of our water down here originates in the Sacramento river area (fresh water). Think also of Lake Tahoe. Migrating ducks. Washington, Oregan and all of the western lakes will shortly acquire the mussels. These current solutions are all short term and very expensive to implement. Also boat manufacturers (think Bayliner) and suppliers. Much effort (money) should be spent on a permanent rather than short term solutions (which will not work).
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Shasta Lake, too, is infected with the quagga mussels. The Sacramento River draining it goes all the way to San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.

Agree on the need for a long term solution or plan to live with the mussels. Sometimes a natural parasite or predator can be found to control or eliminate a foreign invasive species, sometimes not. We'll have to see. Sad, indeed!

Joe. :sad
 
Duplicate post, no delete "X" button !
 
Sea Wolf,
The Sacramento river] water is also diverted thru channels all over the San Joaquin Valley and thru pipelines to cities like Santa Maria and Vandenberg AFB. It supplies much of the drinking water etc and is a very short distance from the local lakes, Here in Nipomo we are attempting to buy some of it from Santa Maria. Do not take your local drinking water on your boat and then dump what is left over into the lake when you leave, What about local beer?
 
Zelpha":3inzp70p said:
Sea Wolf,
The Sacramento river] water is also diverted thru channels all over the San Joaquin Valley and thru pipelines to cities like Santa Maria and Vandenberg AFB. It supplies much of the drinking water etc and is a very short distance from the local lakes, Here in Nipomo we are attempting to buy some of it from Santa Maria. Do not take your local drinking water on your boat and then dump what is left over into the lake when you leave, What about local beer?
Click to expand...

Here in Redding we are very aware of the diversion of Sacramento River water from the California Delta to the south.

Water passes from all Northern and Central California Rivers through the California Delta, which stretches from Sacramento to Antioch. It's pumped south at Tracy, going via the Delta-Mendota Canal and the California Aqueduct. Some is stored in the San Luis Dam, but much simply goes directly south to the Southern San Joaquin Valley, Central Coast, and Southern California.

The Southern California Water Political Interests want to divert even more water south, including the building of the much discussed Peripheral Canal which would run around the Delta to the pumping stations.

Water politics in Califorrnia has 26 major players like the Metropolitan Water District (L.A.), Hetch-Hetchy (S.F.), Federal Bureau of Reclamation , California Water Project, etc., and hundreds of smaller entities. It's a major force in California politics. Could be a fertile career for a civil engineer with political and bureaucratic skills!

Our local water comes from wells and has no quagga larvae in it. Safer and more fun to drink beer anyway! Just don't pee in the lake, pleeeaaase!

Joe. :teeth :thup :beer :beer :beer :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Zelpha":2kr1hhkb said:
C-Hawk:

Zelpha is Chivita's (Sitka 22 ft C-Dory Cruiser) grandfather.

Best to you
Click to expand...

Nice to meet ya, Chivita's Grandfather.
I've been to Sitka several times, doing inspections at the lumber mill.

Roger
 
Roger, David Malone is Chivita's Papa. He runs the Totem Square Inn (Sheeatika Corp) on inlet side of the bridge and on the water front.. The Airport is directly across from the Inn. Sitka is one of the most beautiful small towns in the world. I remember where the old lumbermill was. Great Salmon and Herring fishing. unreal private islands.
Thanks for asking.
 
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