Clear quagga mussels and use the hot water dip tank, ask Utah officials

SALT LAKE CITY — State officials are reminding boaters to keep their vessels clear of quagga mussels this holiday weekend.

According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the mussels have been dubbed as the “STD of the Sea,” because they can harm native fish and jam up water lines and boar systems.

The agency has installed a new hot water dip tank at Utah Lake State Park to make preventing the spread easier.

Bruce Johnson with the DWR says the dip tank shoots hot water through the boat’s systems, killing any quagga mussels that may be inside.

“It gives us that confidence we have killed that organism and we’re not going to spread it across the state,” Johnson said.

For a long time, cleaning and draining boats from the outside was the only way to get rid of the suckers, but the dip tanks fill the boats systems will hot water, cooking away the invasive pests.

Dip tanks at other water bodies a preventative measure against quagga mussels

Lake Powell is the only Utah water body infested with the invasive species, but state officials don’t want them getting anywhere else.

“They take out all the nutrients and they can hurt the fisheries. They also plug up our water pipes, our water control structures,” Johnson said.  The mussels also remove plankton from the water which hurts native fish.

In addition to the dip tanks to fight quagga mussels in Utah Lake and Lake Powell, state officials plan to install dip tanks at Sand Hollow, Flaming Gorge, Pineview, and Willard Bay in the future.

Related reading:

• Quagga mussels: Utah boaters asked to help fight against invasive species
• New weapon to fight quagga mussels at Lake Powell
• Utah Division of Wildlife Resources launches new drone law enforcement team