The MWD is going to stay busy again this year with the threat of the Quagga Mussel. Kathy Portie of the Big Bear Grizzly just published the following article in our local newspaper.
The Big Bear Municipal Water District posted quagga warning signs at public ramps, at the west end of Big Bear Dam and along major roadways as part of its 2008 campaign to keep the lake free of infestation. (KATHY PORTIE/Big Bear Grizzly)
It may be winter with ice on Big Bear Lake, but it’s not too early to think about the 2009 summer boating season.
The Big Bear Municipal Water District is thinking about it, particularly about developing and enforcing new rules to keep the invasive quagga mussel out of Big Bear waters. In 2009, the MWD will add a universal Quagga Prevention surcharge on boat permits to recover expenses associated with the program, at least until the threat is gone. A dollar figure for the surcharge has not been established.
The MWD board of directors will conduct a public hearing to discuss possible programs that may be implemented in 2009. The public hearing will be at the MWD office at 1 p.m. on Jan. 15.
One of the programs under consideration is placing severe restrictions on public and private commercial boat launching facilities. One possible plan calls for prohibiting the use of private ramps and commercial ramps unless a certified inspector is present during all hours of operation. Ramps without an inspector could face the possibility of closure and be blocked on the lake bottom to prevent launching from that site. Boulders could be placed in the water at the ramp location or the ramp could be closed with a MWD lock and chain.
According to an MWD press release from lake operations supervisor Travis Carroll, “The district will require all boats to be inspected for invasive species, and no launching will be allowed when the (public) ramps are unattended.” The MWD will require all boats with ballast tanks for either wakeboarding or stability control to be decontaminated, Carroll stated.
Alan Sharp, co-owner of Big Bear Marina, said he and partner Greg Boll will submit questions and comments to the MWD regarding the issue. “It’s going to have an impact on us, that’s for sure,” Sharp said. “We don’t want it shut down. We have to figure out some kind of compromise.”
Sharp said the MWD did a good job on short notice last summer. “We will do whatever we need to do to get it done,” Sharp said. “Our goal is to keep open. Since the get-go, we have cooperated with the MWD and done what is required.”
Marina owners were sent letters explaining the situation and encouraging participation in the public hearing. Sharp and Boll plan to attend. Attempts to reach other marina owners for comment were unsuccessful by press time.
The fresh-water quagga mussel spread across the United States in recent years, infesting waterways and closing many lakes to recreation opportunities. Quagga mussel infestation can result in boats overheating, destruction of fisheries and catastrophic damage to the watershed.
In 2008, the MWD instigated a boat inspection policy. Boaters applying for permits were required to complete a survey. Those that had been in infested waters required an inspection before being allowed into Big Bear Lake. The MWD hired two inspectors and purchased two steam cleaners for use in mussel decontamination. Three hundred vessels were decontaminated by the district at the East and West public ramps last summer. The agency spent almost $100,000 to implement and administer the plan.
Carroll said most boaters were understanding and ready to do their part to keep mussels from infesting the lake. In a letter sent to marina owners on Dec. 23, MWD general manager Scott Heule stressed the importance of cooperation and participation by the marinas. “The threat of the quagga mussel entering Big Bear Lake has placed a financial and logistical burden on all of us and will continue to do so until a method of mussel eradication or control is developed,” Heule wrote.
So far, the quagga mussel has not made its way into the lake waters. The MWD board of directors is hoping to find a workable solution to keep it that way.
Contact reporter Kathy Portie at 909-866-3456, ext. 135, or by e-mail at kportie.grizzly@gmail.com.
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