New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

[RICHARD5]

http://www.lakepowellchronicle.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=1862&page=77

 

[Knightgang]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

You guys do not have a public launch open 24/7. That has to be a crime. It is around here...

I would hate to think that I have to boat between 7-5 only, and that if for any reason I might run late getting back to the launch, I can't get the boat out...

 

[cribber]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

Man that bites that they're essentially closing the whole lake down after hours unless you pony up cash. Winter or not I'd raise the issue ... Good luck!!!

 

[RICHARD5]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

The Nat'l Park Service or BLM runs the launch ramps. Therefore, this is a response to federal cuts. Not that it doesn't suck but I wonder where else these staffing cuts may be made. Would Army Corp be far behind? Especially on those bodies of water where the Corps owns and operates the ramps.

From the curious way it is written, I suspect the public ramp at Antelope is closed while the ramp controlled by the Navajo tribe is open because this is a concession to the Navajos. I wonder the status of the ramp at Wahweap.

The Quagga mussel is a serious threat to the lake but in the past it had been voluntary compliance with ensuring a vessel and trailer is mussel-free, ie, no ranger required for inspection. The way the article is written I wonder if they are now requiring a ranger to inspect but with staffing cuts the times of availability are limited.

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

You guys do not have a public launch open 24/7. That has to be a crime. It is around here...

I would hate to think that I have to boat between 7-5 only, and that if for any reason I might run late getting back to the launch, I can't get the boat out...

not a crime and if they are able to intercept and stop the quagga and zebra mussels then not a large price to pay.
this summer they went with soft closures at night, and folks still came in late at night and ran the cones. hard closures the only way to be sure.

the local lake did that here for the same reason starting this summer. only they started with hard closures. get in late- your boat spends the night on the lake. a few ticked off. once they found out the park officials are serious, they managed to work it out.

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

Man that bites that they're essentially closing the whole lake down after hours unless you pony up cash. Winter or not I'd raise the issue ... Good luck!!!

the lake is open AND WILL BE OPEN 24 7

you will just have to make sure you launch and retrieve in the hours the ramps are open.

 

[RICHARD5]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

Jaxnjil, what is "running the cones"?

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

they put orange utility cones up so people coming off the lake could get off the lake after hours.
what they found was not to many peep came off the lake but there more coming in late and moving the cones to launch. in spite of the signs ect. telling them to wait for the morning and inspection.
when we we firsts there, the first of oct, we got in late and parked.
boats trickled in all night. jill and i are pretty sure some one came in around 3:00 and went ahead a launched.
at this time the inspection team was opening the ramp from 5:00 am to 10:00 pm.
when the fellow showed up, i walked down and talked to him, telling him what we saw.
he told me, this has been a problem all summer and he could tell the in-lane cones had been moved. he told me then they have been working on a plan to stop this illegal cone running. this is a term i picked up from him.

 

[Knightgang]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

not a crime and if they are able to intercept and stop the quagga and zebra mussels then not a large price to pay.
this summer they went with soft closures at night, and folks still came in late at night and ran the cones. hard closures the only way to be sure.

the local lake did that here for the same reason starting this summer. only they started with hard closures. get in late- your boat spends the night on the lake. a few ticked off. once they found out the park officials are serious, they managed to work it out.

When I said is had to be a crime, I was being sarcastic to the fact of limiting access to the lake. I am on the coast and use public ramps all of the time, no monitoring or inspections to deal with. That is something that I am not use to. Also, since I am not from your area and know nothing about your lakes, what is the problem wth the mussles and why do they have to limit lake access to control them??? Please explain because I am unfamiliar...

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

they have arrived to colorado river system from the the great lakes and to there from the Baltic or some where over there, coming here on ocean going freighters that dumped there bilges in the great lakes.
they have no natural enemy's here + reproduce at a staggering rate. they are filter feeders and destroy the food chain from the bottom up.
they blanket what ever is in the water-boats rocks- infrastructure plugging ruining and making life tough for anything-one that has to deal with them.
they are all ready infecting the lower colorado and are transferred by boat contaminated by them. either live adults attached or the microscopic young in the bilge water ect.
they have contaminated several water ways in the mid west and now into the west.
the above inspection process is the last ditch effort to keep them out of waters not yet contaminated
this is a very short explanation. a very broad over view.
google zebra quaga mussels for a more detailed exclamation

 

[RICHARD5]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=95

Look at the section titled, Impact of Introduction.

I'm not sure of the exact figures, but I believe that the various utility companies on just the Colorado River spend something like $90 million annually to clear out the mussels. Total eradication is not even discussed, they're just trying to keep the infestation from getting worse.

 

[RICHARD5]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

the lake is open AND WILL BE OPEN 24 7

you will just have to make sure you launch and retrieve in the hours the ramps are open.

There were a few times I left the boat at the dock. Not because of this recent restricted access but for the sake of convenience. At Wahweap or Antelope no one hassled the boat. A couple times I slept on the boat right there at the dock. The rangers knew I was there and had no problem with it.

Therefore, I suspect that with this new restriction on ramp access, there will be a lot more boats left overnight at the docks. And that isn't a bad thing. It's an option I would take and I suspect a lot more will too.

 

[Knightgang]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

So, they inspect you going in? What if they find them on your rig? Do you have to go home and sanitize your boat and trailer before being allowed to launch?

Man, that has to be a pain the in XXX from time to time. I am sure that most everyone understands, but it doe snot help the convience issue...

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

no they have a hot water wash at the top of the ramp and they flush and wash with 140* water. then your good to go.
when i left my slip in lake mead last spring my boat had to be cleaned and certified because mead is one of the comtamated lakes. it cost me $150 to have it done there but so far powell dosnt charge. same thing at flaming gorge last summer but state of utah was washing and checking not park service like at powell and mead.

 

[Knightgang]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

I guess it woul dnot be a big deal to me if I lived out that way. I have a commercial pressure washer unit that can produce hot water up to 205 deg. I could wash my own rig and trailer before and after each trip to keep mine clean.

I guess you get used to it if you boat out there and it is not a big deal...

 

[RICHARD5]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

I guess it woul dnot be a big deal to me if I lived out that way. I have a commercial pressure washer unit that can produce hot water up to 205 deg. I could wash my own rig and trailer before and after each trip to keep mine clean.

I guess you get used to it if you boat out there and it is not a big deal...

Don't forget the bilge and water in the engine. Plus all the crevices of the trailer, including inside the channels.

 

[Knightgang]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

Yeah, my trailer is aluminum I beam, I rarely get water in the bilge, but would be easy enough with the 200deg pressure washer and I always flush my engine (outboard) after use as it is habit since I boat in salt water locally...

 

[ddrieck]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

no they have a hot water wash at the top of the ramp and they flush and wash with 140* water. then your good to go.
when i left my slip in lake mead last spring my boat had to be cleaned and certified because mead is one of the contaminated lakes. it cost me $150 to have it done there but so far powell dosnt charge. same thing at flaming gorge last summer but state of utah was washing and checking not park service like at powell and mead.

So Utah State is doing inspections on there side of Flaming Gorge and as far as I know Wyoming is not doing inspections. I wonder how long it will be before the state of Wyoming starts a pro-active approach on these mussels and starts inspecting boats.

I mainly boat in the Glendo Reservoir just south of Douglas, WY and there are hundreds of boats coming up out of Colorado every weekend to use the reservoir. I would hate to see Glendo Reservoir and the North Platte River get contaminated with these vermin.

Does anyone know if there are infected waters on the Colorado/Wyoming border?

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

Oregon is also starting to inspect this year. There's an additional $6 on your boat registration to help pay the additional costs. I remember when the zebra mussel thing was starting to become an issue with power plants on the Chesapeake Bay in the early 80's. It's now a significant safety and production issue trying to keep the intakes clear. We're constantly having problems with people introducing invasive fish species into the lakes. I'm more than happy to fork over a few bucks and take the extra time to make sure my boat is clean.

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: New launching restrictions--Lake Powell

So Utah State is doing inspections on there side of Flaming Gorge and as far as I know Wyoming is not doing inspections. I wonder how long it will be before the state of Wyoming starts a pro-active approach on these mussels and starts inspecting boats.

I mainly boat in the Glendo Reservoir just south of Douglas, WY and there are hundreds of boats coming up out of Colorado every weekend to use the reservoir. I would hate to see Glendo Reservoir and the North Platte River get contaminated with these vermin.

Does anyone know if there are infected waters on the Colorado/Wyoming border?

been out at the lake and just got back.
yes last summer (08) there was team at mustang and cedar springs. they had a steamer mounted on trailer and went back and forth. there hours were from 8 till 5 and i'm not sure how much the would catch but it was a start. i'm not sure if they had any one at all at lucern. i didn't make it to flaming gorge this summer (09) as was working on boat all summer and it just didn't warm up enough to want to go

grand lake at the head of the colorado is the only one i have heard of so far.
that would be closets, but drains away from you