State grant funds two more years of invasive quagga mussel prevention program at Lake Sonoma

The Sonoma County Water Agency’s watercraft inspection program at Lake Sonoma will continue for another two years, thanks to almost $400,000 in state grant funding awarded in August and that went into effect as of Oct. 10. The California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways grant will fund the program to continue to prevent  invasive quagga mussels from entering Lake Sonoma until October 2025.

Quagga and zebra mussels are an invasive mussel which, if introduced into a waterway, can devastate the natural environment, clog water and flood protection infrastructure, and cost millions of dollars in maintenance. Mussels are transported between waterways by watercraft, primarily recreational boats.

Sonoma Water self-funded infestation prevention efforts at both Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma beginning in 2012, and in 2020 was able to successfully obtain funds from the Division of Boating and Waterways to support these efforts.

The Division of Boating and Waterways in 2022 awarded Sonoma Water a $400,000 grant supporting two more years of the program at Lake Mendocino. The agency applied for a $400,000 grant in support of the Lake Sonoma program in May.

“We're immensely grateful for the continued support from the Division of Boating and Waterways, which allows us to safeguard the ecological integrity of Lake Sonoma,” said Sonoma County Supervisor and Sonoma Water Director James Gore.  “This grant funding ensures that we can sustain our successful quagga mussel prevention program, preserving the beauty and vitality of our freshwater ecosystem for future generations. The program has already successfully prevented the introduction of quagga and zebra mussels into our lakes and we hope it can continue to do so into the future.”

A mussel-sniffing canine inspector with the program caught a boat with quagga mussels before it was able to launch in Lake Mendocino in 2018 and again at Lake Sonoma in 2020. Trained mussel-sniffing dogs can detect the mussels even in their microscopic larval stages.

The current mussel inspection program at Lake Sonoma consists of visual and canine inspections of vessels planning to launch into the waterway. Since early September, inspections have taken place at the public boat ramp to ensure that all watercraft owners have a daily receipt prior to launching. A second inspection point will be added around Memorial Day weekend, as activity on the lake increases.

These mussel inspections are performed to thoroughly investigate a vessel for any signs of the invasive dressenid quagga and zebra mussels. The inspections are required by Lake Sonoma, and are offered daily from 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. The requirements include any vessel that is intended to go in the lake, including stand-up paddleboards, kayaks and canoes.

During the inspection process, a mussel screener will ask watercraft users where their last launch was, as well as whether they have launched their boat in Southern California, or out of state in the last 30 days. The mussels can live out of water for up to a month after attaching to a surface. Dreissenid mussels have spread into more than 30 states, including California, the closest of which to Lake Sonoma is Lake Piru in Ventura County. Another employee, dog or human, will inspect the watercraft for mussels in all their favorite hiding places, such as the motor, or the hull of the boat. Inspections typically last less than two minutes.

The best tip to avoid picking up quagga or zebra mussels on a watercraft is to avoid waterways where they have been detected.

Stay up to date on which California water bodies are infested by checking the Division of Boating and Waterways website routinely before taking your watercraft anywhere. If you do end up launching in a known lake with quagga and zebra mussels, just remember to Clean, Drain, and Dry your boat! It is highly recommended you let your boat endure a dry out period of 30 days to ensure no unwanted passengers are aboard your vessels during your next voyage.

If a waterbody in Northern California were to become infested with the dreissenid mussels, there is a good chance that lake would become closed to recreation for the foreseeable future to prevent further spread to surrounding lakes. Once established, the mussels are extremely difficult to remove. Closing the lake enables experts to attempt to remove the infestation.

The grant agreement also requires testing for the presence of the invasive mussels, which involves visual inspections along the shoreline and taking samples from the water to be tested for mussel larvae. Other elements of the grant agreement include staff training, outreach at local events and a public survey.

Funding of this project has been provided in full or in part through an agreement with the California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways. The contents of this release do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Division of Boating and Waterways, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation of their use.

For more information about the invasive mussel prevention program visit dontmoveamussel.com.

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Media Contact:
Stuart Tiffen
Senior Programs Specialist
(707) 332-1223
stuart.tiffen@scwa.ca.gov