We all love to spend a day fishing on the lake or boating with family, but when the time comes to pack up and make sure we have everything we came with, there’s one more thing we can’t forget: proper watercraft and equipment decontamination!
Pests such as zebra mussels, Eurasian watermilfoil, and curly leaf pondweed can have detrimental effects on the ecology of Lake George. It’s important that everyone does their part by remembering to Clean, Drain, and Dry their watercrafts and equipment.
The DEC has recently released new guidelines regarding boat inspection stations. These guidelines, which were put into practice on June 8, 2022, state that if a DEC inspection station is open adjacent to a public body of water, all boaters must have either a self-issuing certification or decontamination certificate from a DEC inspection station before launching.
Help keep Lake George beautiful and the ecology healthy! These are the DEC’s guidelines on what to do with your equipment and watercraft after enjoying the lake:
- Clean mud, plants, fish, or animals from boating and fishing equipment (trailer bunks, axles, rollers, lights, transducers, license plates, motor props, tackle, waders, etc.) and discard the material in trash cans, at a disposal station, or well away from the waterbody, so it won’t get washed in during a storm.
- Drain water-holding compartments, including ballast tanks, live wells, and bilge areas, before leaving an access site.
- Dry everything thoroughly before using boats or equipment in another waterbody. Drying times can vary but a minimum of five to seven days in dry, warm conditions is recommended.
- When there’s no time to dry between uses, disinfect things with hot water that is at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit, or visit a decontamination site.
