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Clean-drain-dry to be emphasized at invasive species education day

The risk of finding invasive species on boats is high this time of year.
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The introduction of invasive mussels to Sylvan Lake could be detrimental to the lake’s health. An inspection and education day will take place at the Sunbreaker Cove boat launch on July 31.

The risk of finding invasive species on boats is high this time of year, which can mean an increase in the risk of unwanted mussels finding their way into the lake. But there’s plenty boat owners can do to prevent contamination, said Lacombe County environmental co-ordinator Blayne West, and that’s why boat inspectors will be at the Sunbreaker Cove boat launch July 31.

Throughout the day, boats will be inspected for invasive species such as zebra and quagga mussels, and boat owners will be educated on how to prevent introducing them to Albertan waters.

“(Inspectors will) look around the boat to see if there are any mussels attached,” said West. “They may look in the pumps and in any other places where water can be held in the boat.”

Boat owners will be asked where they’ve travelled recently, and be provided educational information on mussels and their potential impact on the lake, West said.

They’ll also be reminded of the clean-drain-dry process.

“What we’re looking for is a clean and dry boat,” she said. “We’re trying to educate people in saying that every time they take their boat out of the water, make sure to clean it, drain all the water and dry all the surfaces out so that they’re not even risking taking the babies from one spot to another.”

West said Sylvan Lake doesn’t currently have any mussels that are considered invasive species, but if such mussels were introduced, the effects could be devastating.

“They can reproduce up to a million in a year,” she said. “It’s pretty insane how quickly they can replace themselves.”

With the mussels’ presence, vegetation growing on the bottom of the lake would likely be destroyed, leaving fish with nothing to feed off. As well, waterways, pipelines and underwater infrastructure would likely become clogged.

And once the invasive mussels are in, they’re almost certainly here to stay, West warns.

“They are virtually impossible to remove,” she said. “They cause water quality issues, destroy the food chain, reproduce very quickly and are something we can pretty much not eradicate.”

Invasive aquatic plants will also be searched for during the July 31 inspection, which runs at the Sunbreaker Cove boat launch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Invasive mussels were found on a boat bound for Sylvan Lake during an inspection at the same site in May.