Gardnerville, Nev. — The Spooner Junction station for inspection and decontamination of motorized boats and watercraft official will be open Friday for the boating season. Locations, hours of operation and opening dates are as follows:

The station is open 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., seven days a week at the junction of US 50 and Highway 28 in Nevada.

Stations will also be open at Meyers at the junction of highways 50 and 89 and at Alpine Meadows off Alpine Meadows Road north of Tahoe City starting this week.

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

All motorized boats and watercraft require inspection for aquatic invasive species (AIS) 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 destroy fish habitat, ruin boat engines, and can negatively impact water quality and the local economy, recreation, and ecosystem. Boats and other watercraft are the largest transporters of AIS, and the inspection program is critical to preventing their spread into Lake Tahoe and other waterbodies. Knowingly transporting AIS into Lake Tahoe is against the law, and violators may be subject to monetary penalties.

“Boaters are encouraged to Clean, Drain, and Dry their boats prior to arriving at inspection stations in order to save time and money,” according to Nicole Cartwright, AIS Program Coordinator for the Tahoe Resource Conservation District, “make sure to drain and dry all water, even water from your garden hose used to flush. Taking these three simple steps will get you on the water faster.”

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

For more information on aquatic invasive species prevention, control, and early detection join us for our Spring Public Forum. The event is located this year at the Lake Tahoe Golf Course in South Lake Tahoe on May 21st from 5:00-7:30 p.m. Event details and information on the inspection program and AIS can be found by visiting TahoeBoatInspections.com or calling (888) 824-6267.