KELOWNA – A mobile decontamination unit used to prevent zebra mussels from entering the province’s waterways was in action Thursday in Kelowna.
The 11 boats belonging to a sailing club in Manitoba were de-contaminated by the Conservation Officer Service before being allowed into Okanagan Lake.
“We sail on Lake Winnipeg. It’s a high risk lake for zebra mussels so they want to take precautions to not spread anything into the lake here,” says Sail Manitoba coach Jackie Spear.
Zebra mussels are an invasive species introduced from Europe into the great lakes by cargo ships.
The mussels have been creating trouble as they spread westward across Canada and the United States.
“They’re really bad. They pollute the lake and end up killing the lake eventually,” says Spears.
A high pressure, hot water washer is used to make sure there are no live mussels on, or in, the boats.
“This is what the crews were put in place to do, to stop the infiltration of mussels into British Columbia. So anytime we have a boat coming in from a high risk area, this process will take place,” says Sgt. Josh Lockwood of the Conservation Officer Service.
After the de-contamination, the sailors were given the go-ahead to put their boats in the water.
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