LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County is receiving funds through a new state grant program to prevent quagga and zebra mussel infestations.
The Quagga and Zebra Mussel Prevention Grant Program, managed by the California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways, is funded by a recent boating registration fee increase.
It is providing funds on a biennial basis in an effort to “aide in the infestation prevention of the dreissenid mussel in California reservoirs,” according to the grant's Web site.
The funding is going to protect water bodies that are not already infested, the state reported.
On Wednesday, Lake County Water Resources received word that the state had awarded it $189,649.60 for its mussel prevention efforts, according to Carolyn Ruttan, Lake County Invasive Species Program coordinator.
“The reason that we were funded is because we have such a strong prevention program in place,” Ruttan said.
Ruttan said the grant is going to be used to strengthen the county's current mussel prevention plan by providing part-time seasonal staff managed by two coordinators to monitor primary county and city public launch ramps.
County personnel will monitor all water vessels and trailers for compliance with the mussel prevention plan, provide informational handouts and be ambassadors for the county’s mussel prevention efforts, Ruttan said.
She said ramp monitors shall be trained according to the “Uniform Minimum Protocols and Standards for Watercraft Interception Programs for Dreissenid Mussels in the Western United States,” established in January 2012.
For more information on Lake County's mussel prevention program, visit http://www.nomussels.com/ .
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Lake County Water Resources receives grant to aid in protecting Clear Lake from invasive mussels
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On