Lake Tahoe boats will be required to undergoe inspections and to be decontaminated if inspectors determine the vessels may introduce quagga or zebra mussels into the lake. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's governing board proposed the regulations in response to concern that Lake Tahoe is at risk of invasion from the mussels.
Zebra mussels are small, fingernail-sized mussels believed to have been transported to the Great Lakes via ballast water from a transoceanic vessel. Since that time, they have spread rapidly to all of the Great Lakes and waterways in many states, including the Mississippi River. Most recently, they have been found in Nevada, Arizona and Southern California.
Zebra mussels are a nusiance because they reproduce quickly and cover the undersides of docks, boats, and anchors. They can grow so densely that they block pipelines, clogging water intakes of municipal water supplies and hydroelectric companies.
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