LAKE COUNTY – A draft resolution declaring the need for emergency action to protect Clear Lake from invasive mussels will go before the Board of Supervisors today.

Last week, County Counsel Anita Grant met with Supervisors Rob Brown and Denise Rushing to draft the item, which deals specifically with concerns about the quagga and zebra mussels reaching Clear Lake.

The invasive mussels have no natural predators, spread easily on boats, boating equipment and even in bait buckets, clog water system pipes and can cost millions to deal with, and have been known to cost millions of dollars to deal with, according to Pam Francis of the county's Water Resources Division.

A staff report from Grant to the board notes that the resolution can serve as a "starting point" for taking action.

In recent weeks the board has considered numerous options, such as inspecting all boats that come into the county, setting up portable decontamination systems, working with water event organizers to ensure boats and watercraft are decontaminated, and educating the public.

The draft resolution notes that a mussel infestation "will threaten local water supplies and will have a significant negative impact upon the use and enjoyment of these bodies of water by the public."

Primarily, the solution finds that the threat justifies emergency action.

Other points of the resolution:

– The board supports AB 1683, which prohibits possessing, importing or causing the mussels to be placed in any of the state's waterways, and gives the Department of Fish & Game authority to inspect all watercraft and quarantine waters.

– The board directs county staff to work with all affected counties and agencies to come up with the best plan to prevent the mussel infesting Clear Lake.

– County staff is to pursue "local regulatory and administrative changes" to assist the county in creating better management practices to prevent and/or control infestation.

– The board commits to adopting an invasive species management plan for long-term protection against the quagga and zebra mussels.

The resolution will be discussed as an untimed item during the board's meeting today, which begins at 9 a.m. at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport. The meeting will be televised live on Channel 8.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

{mos_sb_discuss:3}