LAKE COUNTY, Calif – Significant changes with the county ordinance requiring boaters to have their vessels screened for the invasive quagga and zebra mussel will soon take effect and boaters are encouraged to get their vessels screened early in order to avoid a costly citation.

On Jan. 18 the Lake County Board of Supervisors approved an amendment to the existing “quagga” ordinance establishing a fee-based screening and inspection program for all vessels launched on Clear Lake and other Lake County waters.

The amended ordinance will take effect on Feb. 24.

Resident boat owners are now being required to have their vessels screened annually, according to a Tuesday report from sheriff's Capt. James Bauman and Sgt. Dennis Ostini, who heads up the Sheriff’s Marine Patrol Unit.

They said that the fee for the annual screening is $10 and once the vessel has been screened, new gold stickers and year stickers will be issued for placement on the bow of the vessel or personal watercraft. The older white resident stickers with red lettering will become invalid on the effective date of the new ordinance.

Residents will not be required to actually bring their vessel to a screening location but they will be required to present a copy of the vessel registration at the screening location to prove residency, Bauman and Ostini said.

Another significant change in the ordinance is that violations are now classified as a misdemeanor with a fine of $1,000 if convicted, they noted.

Each of the new gold stickers should be affixed to each side of the vessel’s bow, several inches forward of the registration sticker or CF number. The blue 2011 year sticker should be affixed next to the gold sticker. A third set of stickers is to be placed in a conspicuous location on the rear of the boat trailer.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office supports all efforts being undertaken by the Board of Supervisors, Lake County Department of Water Resources, and local volunteers and businesses who are striving to prevent the introduction of invasive mussel species into the public waterways of Lake County.

Since the new ordinance takes effect this month, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office strongly encourages all residents who plan on boating this season to have their vessels screened as soon as it is practical.

The Sheriff’s Marine Patrol Unit will be maintaining a “zero tolerance” policy in enforcing the ordinance and all boaters not displaying the new stickers on or after Feb. 24 will be issued a citation.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .