Boat Inspections Aim To Keep Quagga Mussels Out Of Water
SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- Green Mountain Reservoir is open for the season and that is good news for boaters. This year, they will notice some big changes as officials work hard to make sure a nuisance species can't take hold- quagga mussels.
Brand new power decontamination machinery is in place to remove the mussels and newly hired crews are ready for the summer wave of boaters.
Jordan Miller runs the marina and says boaters will notice the rigorous boat inspections after Green Mountain tested positive for the invasive quagga mussel last year.
All other tests since that one have come back negative, but they are not taking any chances.
"This is serious, we don't want them to get into our lakes, damage our infrastructure and cause a lot of headaches," Miller said.
Scientists are checking the water in the reservoir every two weeks to make sure they don't find any more quagga mussels and to keep them from spreading to other waterways in Colorado.
Matt Kroschel covers news throughout Colorado working from the CBS4 Mountain Newsroom. Send story ideas to mrkroschel@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter @Matt_Kroschel.