Lake Tahoe boat inspections move to winter operation schedule October 1

Beginning October 1, watercraft inspections for the detection and prevention of aquatic invasive species (AIS) will change locations and shift to a first-come, first-served basis, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and the Tahoe Resource Conservation District (Tahoe RCD) announced today.

With this shift back to on-demand inspections, the agencies are closing out the inspection appointment system initiated this year to lower the risk of COVID-19 spread.

October 1 through 12:

AIS inspections and decontaminations will continue to be available at the Meyers, Calif. and Truckee, Calif. stations Thursday through Monday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Inspections will also be available at the Lake Forest boat ramp in Tahoe City, Calif., and at the Cave Rock-Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park boat ramp in Cave Rock, Nev. from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily.

Boats that require a decontamination will be sent to the Meyers or Truckee locations.

All wakeboard boats with ballast tank systems will need additional time to undergo mandatory decontamination and should plan to go to the Meyers or Truckee sites where those services are offered.

Beginning October 13:

Inspections will be available only at the Lake Forest and Cave Rock boat ramps.
TRPA and Tahoe RCD remind boaters to arrive at inspection locations Clean, Drained, and Dry to reduce the risk of spreading AIS and to help speed the process.

Despite travel restrictions and a global pandemic, the AIS inspection program served record numbers of boaters this year and stopped more boats carrying invasive mussel species than last year. Thanks to highly trained staff, 20 motorized watercraft with invasive mussels on board were intercepted and decontaminated so far this year, up from 11 in 2019, the agencies said.

For more information watercraft inspection locations and AIS prevention, visit TahoeBoatInspections.com.