Changes, Including Boat Inspection Fee Increase, Coming for 2014 Lake Tahoe Boating Season

It will cost boaters $10 more to have their boat inspected prior to being launched in Lake Tahoe this summer.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board approved the fee update for the watercraft inspection program to help sustain boater services after a reduction in their federal funding.

The changes the TRPA approved this week:

* The decontamination fee will increase from $25 to $35 dollars only charged to boaters who don’t arrive at the inspection station Clean, Drained and Dry. All other fees will remain the same.

* Closure of the Homewood inspection station, which conducted 8 percent of inspections last year.

* A 15% reduction in funding to marinas for their assistance installing and checking inspection seals.

The Committee this spring will consider changing the hours of operation at Meyers, Spooner and Alpine Meadows inspection stations to close at 5:30 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. 8% of the boat inspections took place after 5:30 p.m. in 2013.

That year, the program—jointly managed by TRPA and the Tahoe Resource Conservation District (Tahoe RCD)—inspected and certified over 14,000 motorized watercraft that were free of invasive species before launching into Lake Tahoe. An introduction of non-native species could devastate Lake Tahoe’s fragile ecosystem and native fisheries, impact boats and recreation areas, and could cost the Tahoe Basin about $20 million annually, according to studies.

The watercraft inspection program takes around $1.5 million per year to run and last year approximately 50 percent was provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act funds. That amount will be reduced by more than $100,000 this year and the changes to the program aim to cover that shortfall. Nicole Cartwright, AIS Program Coordinator for Tahoe RCD, said they are constantly evaluating the program for a balance between level of service, convenience and risk of introduction.

“Closing the Homewood inspection station this boating season will provide the greatest cost saving with the lowest impact to boater convenience,” Cartwright said. “Boaters still have access to four other inspection stations on the way to the Lake.”

Cartwright said most boaters can avoid the need for decontamination and save money by arriving at the inspection station not just cleaned and drained, but also dry. Wet boats need to be decontaminated because the larvae of invasive species can survive as long as there is moisture. Out of 6,800 motorized boats that received a new inspection last year, 4,000 had to be decontaminated.

For more information on the Lake Tahoe Watercraft Inspection Program, visit tahoeboatinspections.com.

The Watercraft Inspection Program is part of the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Program which is implemented by 40 public and private partner organizations including federal, state and local jurisdictions, research partners, public utility districts, and private marinas. The state, federal and local agencies comprising the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinating Committee have provided leadership, direction and resources to fulfill this program’s mission of prevention, detection and control of aquatic invasive species in the Lake Tahoe Region. For additional information, call Jeff Cowen at (775) 589-5278 or email him at jcowen@trpa.org.