LAKE COUNTY – Tests of Clear Lake are under way, many local residents are checking their own docks and piers, and the Board of Supervisors is trying to choose prevention measures to keep the quagga mussel out of Clear Lake.

Pam Francis, deputy director of the county's Water Resources Division, went before the Board of Supervisors last month to ask for direction in how to protect the lake from quagga and zebra mussels, invasive pests from the Ukraine that are creating havoc in waterways across the U.S.

Francis returned to the board Tuesday to give an update on tests of the lake the board ordered done two weeks ago, and to seek further direction.

So far, the lake's upper arm has been tested, with the rough weather on the lake preventing further tests, Francis said. After the tests are done and results come back in a few weeks, they should have a good idea if the mussels are present or not.

She said she's received numerous calls from area residents asking if they can help look for the mussel. Francis encouraged that, saying to check boats, docks, piers, buoys, ramps and chains for the tiny mussels, which can feel like sandpaper in their larva stages. The mussels like concrete and shady areas, she added.

Water Resources has a hotline, 263-2556, which is manned from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to answer questions from the public, said Francis.

Officials are asking the state Department of Food & Agriculture and Caltrans to post signs around the county, warning people with boats coming into the county about the need to prevent the mussel getting into Clear Lake, said Francis. County officials also would like to pull over boats coming into the county.

Braito's Marina has posted signs, and the Coast Guard Flotilla is adding information about the mussel to its boating safety information, she added.

The county also is approaching incoming boating and fishing events to ask that people observe “good housekeeping practices” in cleaning their boats, said Francis.

Francis is concerned that the county needs to be prepared to deal with emergency situations.

Finley resident Phil Murphy suggested the board send letters to state legislators, Sen. Patricia Wiggins and Assembly member Patty Berg, to ask them to start dealing with the issue.

“This is really a statewide problem,” said Murphy, adding that “a ridiculous level of complexity and cost” is involved with the mussel issue.

Murphy suggested a quarantine would “drive home the urgency of this problem.”

Supervisors Jeff Smith and Rob Brown were concerned that a quarantine wasn't feasible.

Brown suggested that the county work with the hospitality industry – specifically campgrounds and hotels – to spread the word about the need to comply with boat and watercraft decontamination. He also proposed using the county's unused pears sheds for decontamination stations.

Supervisor Denise Rushing wanted to formulate a plan for what to do now, saying she didn't think short-term restrictions on access to the lake would harm the economy.

The immediate action the board agreed to Tuesday was to send letters to state and federal legislators, the governor, state government groups and neighboring counties for assistance.

The board also decided two supervisors – Brown and Rushing – would meet with County Counsel Anita Grant and Francis to discuss emergency measures, and whether a quarantine is feasible on a short-term basis. Conclusions from that discussion will be brought to the board in two weeks.

Francis said Wednesday that the threat posed by quagga and zebra mussels is a statewide issue, and it isn't economically feasible for each county to create their own prevention and inspection programs from the ground up.

Inspections by the Department of Food & Agriculture are key, she said. “The choke points are really at the state lines.”

A main concern at the county level is decontaminating boats, and creating portable decontamination stations, she said.

The Fifth Street boat ramp in Lakeport is equipped with a drain that goes into the sewer system, not the lake, said Francis. That location could be used for decontamination, using a chlorinated water solution that Francis compared to “spa water.”

Francis said the supervisors want to appoint a manager to take control of the situation, but she's not sure who that will be.

“I feel that our department is just the messenger on this,” she said.

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

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