Lake Tahoe boat inspection stations to open May 1

LAKE TAHOE — Roadside stations for inspections and decontaminations of motorized boats and watercraft preparing to launch on Lake Tahoe will open this week for the 2015 boating season.

The following three locations are scheduled to open Friday, May 1, and will be open 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., 7 days a week during the boating season, according to the Tahoe Resource Conservation District:

Alpine Meadows: Highway 89, off Alpine Meadows Road north of Tahoe City.

Spooner Summit: at the junction of U.S. 50 and Highway 28 in Nevada.

Meyers: at the junction of U.S. 50 and Highway 89

A fourth station off Highway 267 at Airport Road near Truckee Tahoe Airport is scheduled to open Thursday, May 21; during the season, this station will only be open 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Thursday-Sunday, according to TRCD.

In 2015, the district will not operate a station at Homewood; further, the Highway 267 location is replacing the former station at Northstar California.

“Boat inspections are critical to maintaining the health of Lake Tahoe and our local recreation-based economy, Dennis Zabaglo, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s AIS Program Coordinator, said in a statement. “Through the efforts of the Tahoe Resource Conservation District¹s trained inspectors and other private and public partners committed to the Lake, we expect to have another successful season.”

As has bee the case since 2009, all motorized boats and watercraft require inspection for aquatic invasive species prior to launching into Lake Tahoe.

Invasive species, such as quagga mussels, New Zealand mudsnails, and hydrilla, are known to multiply quickly and colonize underwater surfaces, including docks and piers, water supply and filtration systems, buoys, moored boats, and even the beautiful rocky shoreline.

They reportedly destroy fish habitat, ruin boat engines, and can negatively impact water quality and the local economy, recreation, and ecosystem. Knowingly transporting AIS into Lake Tahoe is against the law, and violators may be subject to monetary penalties.

Annual inspection fees remain unchanged from 2014. The “Tahoe In & Out” sticker ranges from $35 for personal watercraft and vessels under 17 feet up to $121 for vessels longer than 39 feet. The “Tahoe Only” sticker fee is $30. An additional fee of $35 is charged for any boat requiring decontamination and an additional $10 fee for the decontamination of ballast tanks or bags.

For information, visit TahoeBoatInspections.com or call 888-824-6267.