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State wildlife officers report dip tanks achieved 100% mortality for mussels; Kanab inspection station expands containment work
Summary
Utah wildlife enforcement officials told the Kane County Commission that dip tanks at Lake Powell show 100% mortality for zebra/quagga mussels in recent validation tests, inspection counts rose statewide and Kanab’s secondary inspection station is increasingly important though limited by staffing.
John Bruce Johnson, a lieutenant with the Utah Division of Law Enforcement, told the Kane County Commission that state inspection work this year included nearly 50,000 inspections at Lake Powell and roughly 1,800 decontaminations, and statewide totals approaching 300,000 inspections.
Johnson said a biological verification study at the Stateline Ramp dip tank showed 100% mortality of invasive mussel veligers and adult mussels exposed in the tank, a finding the division called "a huge development" and which validates their containment strategy. He described dip tanks at Bullfrog and the Stateline ramp, the Kanab inspection station (opened this season, weekends only because of staffing), and the division's practice of issuing certificates for Lake Powell inspections to expedite flows at downstream stations.
Johnson warned of several invasive threats: zebra and quagga mussels confirmed in nearby reservoirs, and a newer 'golden mussel' detected in California water systems that might move eastward. He also described the program's operational realities: high summer temperatures at Lake Powell, recruitment and retention challenges for seasonal staff, and the role of law enforcement in supporting inspections and decontaminations.
Commissioners asked operational questions about lane assignments, whether boats inspected at Lake Powell must still stop at Kanab (staff said yes, as a secondary net), and whether staffing increases could reduce duplicate stops. Staff said they would continue outreach to notify boaters about secondary inspection requirements and were open to further discussions about local boater pass systems.
The update emphasized prevention and containment as the county and state work to limit the spread of invasive aquatic species into Utah’s waterbodies.
