LAKEPORT – Following more than an hour and a half of discussion, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday reached consensus to keep aside two of its four decontamination stations – which it had determined to sell.

At least one of the stations is expected to be made available to the city of Lakeport, which came forward recently to request it.

The stations and their effectiveness have been an item of increasing discussion for several weeks.

The Tuesday discussion included a fair amount of confusion and frustration by members of the board and the county's Quagga Mussel Task Force over the best course of action for the county to pursue in keeping out the invasive quagga and zebra mussels. Supervisor Jeff Smith, who also sits on the task force, noted that at the task force's meeting last week, a discussion of whether or not to keep the stations dominated the group's time.

Board of Supervisors Chair Denise Rushing voiced her own frustration at one point, pointing to an overall lack of a plan to meaningfully address keeping the mussels out of the county's lakes.

Smith said he asked for the discussion to be on this week's agenda. At last week's mussel task force meeting, the group voted 6-3 to keep at least two the units. Last year the county paid about $100,000 for all four units.

Columnist and task force member Terry Knight said he voted to keep the two decontamination stations, but that was before he had a long conversation with a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources employee who told him they use car washes in that state, where they've had the mussels since 1988.

“None of the Midwest states use decontamination stations,” said Knight.

In 1992, Minnesota implemented a mussel prevention program, and has managed to keep the mussels to only nine of its many lakes. In California, Knight noted, 20 bodies of water have become infested since 2006.

Minnesota uses a combination of public information, careful inspection of boats and stiff fines to control the invasives, Knight explained. If a person tries to launch a wet boat, they're fined $500, and a $1,000 fine goes to someone with a boat on which mussels are found. Boats can be quarantined for up to two weeks.

He added that Minnesota has a statewide program, and has ramped up spending from $150,000 last year to $750,000 for 2009.

Suzanne Lyons, a Lakeport City Council member who also serves on the task force and the Clear Lake Advisory Subcommittee, said Lakeport wants to operate one of the stations. She said she's spoken to a Fish and Game official who told her that agency won't quarantine boats, which made decontamination more critical.

She pointed to a Department of Public Works document on the mussel program, which notes the importance of washing and decontamination, and which stated that the county lacks sufficient funds to man the stations.

Deputy Water Resources Director Pam Francis said there are low-cost alternatives preferable to the large footprint decontamination stations. She said small steam clean units like Hudson sprayers can be used on wet boats.

“Probably the biggest concern we have is a boat that comes from suspect waters that is wet,” she said.

At Lake Tahoe the small, handheld Hudson sprayers are used to clean out live wells and bilges, Francis said.

During the discussion, Rushing said she was surprised to learn that the county didn't have the authority to impound or quarantine a boat when it could put a sticker on boats.

Added Supervisor Rob Brown, “It seems odd to me that we wouldn't have that authority.”

Francis said quarantining is part of the Fish and Game Code.

Brown said he found it ironic that Francis was telling the board not to use the decontamination stations now, since it was Francis who had brought them the suggestion to use the stations to begin with.

“We need to make it real clear on what direction we are going to be taking,” Brown said.

County Counsel Anita Grant said Francis is correct in terms of the law when it comes to quarantine and impound powers. However, she suggested there were alternatives. The county can request Fish and Game make the county a designee in order to be able to quarantine suspect boats. The sheriff's office also would have impound and quarantine powers in enforcing local ordinances and state laws.

Grant said the board knew that the original mussel program ordinance needed to evolve, and she said it can be beefed up. The mussel task force is looking to partner with state and federal agencies, and that can give them more “hammers” in enforcing the program.

Supervisor Anthony Farrington said he didn't think the comparison between Minnesota and Lake County's efforts was an apple to apple comparison, since the county isn't going to be inspecting all boats that come and go.

Francis said she wanted to make it clear what decontamination is for and what it isn't. It's not to clean a boat so it can launch, she said.

Boats with visible mussels are subject to quarantine of 28 days or more. In such a case, Francis said, “Decontamination is not an option.”

She said originally Farrington proposed to have decontamination stations at the county's perimeters, but the county can't afford to run them. It would be better to have them located at an existing car wash or auto-related business.

Francis said Lake Tahoe uses such stations, and only decontaminated five boats in 2008 and nine boats to date this year.

Only cleaned, drained and dry boats should be launched in Lake County, she said.

She said they are not seeing a high influx of boats from “high suspect areas,” such as Arizona, Nevada and Southern California.

A small Hudson sprayer with a 12-percent chlorine solution in water effectively kills the mussels, she said.

Supervisor Jim Comstock asked about how they deal with wakeboarding boats. Francis said salt or chlorine solutions are put in the boats' bladders then pumped out.

Farrington said he didn't have comfort that the county was doing enough to address the threat. He asked what the incentive was for businesses to accommodate the stations.

Francis said that question was the bottom line. She said the county went out to the community to seek businesses and groups interested in running the stations, and only received interest from two businesses.

Farrington questioned if county staff had made phone calls to follow up and discuss the possibilities with those interested. “I don't think that ever happened,” he said.

Sarah Ryan, environmental director for Big Valley Rancheria, urged the board to keep some of the decontamination stations until they know for sure that the smaller sprayers would work. She said she's also spoken to a Fish and Game official who said the agency won't use chlorine due to liability for damage to vessels.

“At the very least I think we have the opportunity to have something in place to clean boats before they go into the lake,” said Ryan, noting there are many more invasives – such as New Zealand mud snails, now found in Sonoma County – to worry about.

At Konocti Vista Casino, they're seeing many boats coming from Arizona and Nevada. “These quaggas are moving northward,” she said. “Everyone believes that it's only a matter of time.”

Konocti Vista had been interested in one of the stations, but didn't pursue it when they thought they would have to buy it, which would necessitate grant funding, she said.

Sierra Club Lake Group Chair Victoria Brandon said the first line of defense in the mussel prevention program is the oral questionnaire about where boats have been, which isn't being done properly based on anecdotal evidence.

She also urged holding onto the stations. “It seems to me only prudent to use these until we have an alternative system set up that is equally effective.”

Lyons, returning to the podium, said she spent an hour on the phone with the designer of the decontamination stations, who explained in-depth how they're supposed to work. There is a protocol for dealing with the various types of boats, such as wakeboard vessels.

Pros and cons of decontamination

Public Works Director Brent Siemer said the county bought the stations – which he called the “sledgehammer” – when they were first trying to figure out how to address mussel prevention. “We don't need the sledgehammer for the tack as far as the county is concerned,” said Siemer, noting that they want to encourage entrepreneurs to use a less expensive option.

Smith read an e-mail from Jason Roberts of Fish and Game to Francis and Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer Melissa Fulton, dated June 10, explaining the pros and cons of the contamination stations.

Roberts' pros included the ability to quickly decontaminate suspect boats that have standing water, the ability to clean a suspect boat and still have the owner “spend money in your county instead of turning them away” and lowering the risk of a suspect boat contaminating Clear Lake and other bodies of water.

The cons, according to Roberts, is that a decontamination station is only as good as its weakest employee “who would need to be dedicated and take their time to ensure a proper decon.” He also noted, “A decon station is probably never going to turn a profit” and almost always will result in a revenue loss.

In addition, Roberts said there's a liability connected to decontaminating peoples' boats, which is why he doesn't current decontaminate public boats.

“I think if the program took a position to reject suspect boats from launching it would help alleviate the need for a decon station,” he wrote.

Roberts added that the stations are a good tool to have and he'd recommend having one if a private business was willing to take on it and its liability.

He also suggested the county's program could be “significantly improved” if all boats coming into the county were reinspected. People using their boats only on Clear Lake could avoid reinspection if the county used a cable tie program like that used by Lake Tahoe.

Greg Giusti of the mussel task force said he also had voted in favor of keeping two of the stations, “mainly because I had no choices.”

Giusti said there will be challenges with manning the stations, and they don't have boat inspectors, only a system that relies on people voluntarily having their boats screened. The county's reward is keeping the mussels out, but the work will never end. “There is no finish line in this race.”

“I'm really frustrated,” said Rushing. “We've been at this now for a couple years' time.”

She faulted lack of money and leadership for failing to have an effective program in place.

Rushing pointed to a lack of accountability and responsibility for implementing the program, and said it may be premature to sell the stations until they have a plan.

She suggested directing the mussel task force to develop a statement of work, which would include an education plan, and identify training needs and tools.

She added, “Maybe the sticker program is a wise thing, maybe it should be dropped,” but accountability needs to be put in place. Rushing said she was uncomfortable making a decision about a piece of the program – the stations – when the entire program is unclear.

“It is a herculean effort that everyone is trying to address,” said Giusti, adding that he totally agreed with everyone Rushing said.

Community input wasn't unanimous on keeping the stations. While businesswoman Nancy Ruzicka was in favor of keeping the “sledgehammer” in case it's needed, Finley resident Phil Murphy said they should sell the stations if they can accomplish the same goal with less complexity and cost. Murphy added that the awareness is a major issue, with signage not doing an adequate job at entry points and larger fines and impound authority needed.

Francis, who said she's not in favor of using the decontamination stations, said the county can sell the stations and use the money for outreach and other parts of the mussel prevention program.

Getting up to speak for the third and final time, Lyons said she has been researching the mussel issue for over a year and a half. She voiced frustration that every time the county gets ready to do something, there's some new reason not to act.

Previously, when a local business owner was looking at using the small Hudson sprayers discussed at the meeting as the new alternative, Lyons said the Department of Public Works said they wouldn't work.

“I can't keep hitting the moving target here guys,” she said.

Community member Katherine Yoder then offered her own suggestions – put up signs around the lake closing it until a plan is formulated.

Rushing said if the county decided to give Lakeport one of the stations, there would need to be strings attached – specifically, the city would need to take action and use it.

“In the absence of a plan it doesn't matter if you sell these,” she said, because the county will still be throwing money down the same hole. Rushing called it a “no regrets move” to keep at least one or two stations. They must work, she said, since Los Angeles County wanted to buy them.

The board reached consensus to keep at least two of the stations and put the donation of one of them to Lakeport on a future agenda.

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