Wayne Gustaveson didn’t ask me personally to write this entry. But in his most recent fishing column, he asked those who love Lake Powell, the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River to “do everything within their power” to get this message out, thus I am doing my own small part to help.
Wayne Gustaveson is a fisheries biologist with the Utah Division of Wildlife and the author of a column called “Wayne’s Words.” Usually devoted to helping anglers catch more fish at Lake Powell (which is just 2.5 hours away from the Grand Canyon), Gustaveson’s most recent column had a more urgent tone as it warned boaters across the nation to beware of a tiny little shellfish with the power to take a lot of the fun out of Lake Powell: the Quagga Mussel.
Recently discovered in Lakes Mead, Mojave and Havasu, the Quagga Mussel makes the once-feared Zebra 
Mussel look, as Salt Lake Tribune columnist Brett Prettyman put it, “wimpy.” Native to the Ukraine, Quaggas multiply rapidly, devour plankton and produce a waste that depletes the water of oxygen as it decomposes. Not only can these awful things permanently alter a waterway’s ecological balance in short order, they can do heavy damage to boat engines, water intake pipes and beaches (when they die, they leave behind thousands of their empty shells for you to cut your feet on).
If Quagga Mussels find their way to Lake Powell, the quality (and quantity) of the Lake’s fisheries could decline sharply. All the fun we’ve had frolicking on Lake Powell’s sandy beaches and catching stripers and catfish in her beautiful bays could become a distant memory. We can’t let this happen.
Here are some things you can do to help before launching your boat in Lake Powell:
1. Drain the water from your motor, live well, and bilge on land before leaving the immediate area of the mussel infested lake.
2. Flush the motor and bilges with hot, soapy water or a 5% solution of household bleach.
3. Completely inspect your vessel and trailer, removing any visible mussels, but also feel for any rough or gritty spots on the hull. These may be young mussels that can be hard to see.
4. Wash the hull, equipment, bilge and any other exposed surface with hot, soapy water or use a 5% solution of household bleach.
5. Clean and wash your trailer, truck or any other equipment that comes in contact with lake water. Mussels can live in small pockets anywhere water collects.
6. Air-dry the boat and other equipment for at least five days before launching in any other waterway.
With everyone’s help and vigilance, may Lake Powell continue its tradition of world-class fishing and unmatched water fun, just a couple of hours from the Grand Canyon. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/glca or www.protectyourwaters.net
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