LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The 2011 boating season on Clear Lake will soon be in full swing and the Lake County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol Unit is already applying a “zero tolerance” policy in enforcing the water vessel inspection ordinance passed by the Board of Supervisors last February.

In January of this year, 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 took effect on Feb. 24.

Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said resident boat owners are now required to have their vessels screened annually.

The fee for the annual screening is $10 and once the vessel has been screened, new gold stickers and year stickers are issued for placement on the bow of the vessel or personal watercraft, he said. The older white resident stickers with red lettering are no longer valid.

Residents are not required to actually bring their vessel to a screening location but they are required to present a copy of the vessel registration at the screening location to prove residency, he said.

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

While boating activity on Clear Lake has been minimal since the ordinance took effect in February, Bauman said the Sheriff’s Marine Patrol Unit has stopped or checked numerous vessels for compliance with the ordinance and has already issued two citations for misdemeanor violations.

Beginning next month, the Marine Patrol Unit will deploy additional sheriff’s deputies for the 2011 boating season on Clear Lake and increase its assertive enforcement of the ordinance, Bauman said.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office supports all efforts being undertaken by the Board of Supervisors, the Lake County Department of Water Resources, local volunteers and businesses who are striving to protect public waterways in Lake County and prevent the infestation of Dreissenid mussels, otherwise known as quagga and zebra mussels.

Bauman said residents who have not yet had their vessels screened and updated with annual stickers are strongly encouraged to do so without delay in order to avoid a citation and sturdy fine.

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