OBWB calls for bolstering of invasive mussel protection

Mar 9, 2022 | 2:12 PM Liam Verster

The Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) is calling of the B.C. government to bolster the Invasive Mussel Program (IMP).

The call comes as boating season approaches and COVID-19 restrictions are being eased.

As 2022 is expected to be see increased tourism and visitors to the lake, the OBWB has sent a letter to George Heyman, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, with a lost of six calls to action.

Maintain IMDP core program funding at 2021 levels of minimum $3.5-million a year, adjusted for inflation;
Introduce ‘pull-the-plug’ legislation, requiring watercraft to remove drain plugs prior to travelling on B.C. roads;
Review and update the 2014 Early Detection, Rapid Release Plan for invasive mussels and provide a window for public consultation;
Provide toolkits and resources for local governments to conduct vulnerability assessments and put mitigation measures in place like retrofitting in-water infrastructure;
Introduce legislation to require all out-of-province watercraft to be inspected prior to being launched in B.C. waters;
Provide additional funding to invasive species groups in high-risk regions for monitoring, outreach and education;

A release from the OBWB said the IMDP has prevented 137 infested watercraft from bringing invasive mussels into B.C.’s waters through over 220,000 inspections since 2015.

However, there are still concerns that motorists with watercraft are failing to stop and complete inspections. This is backed by 17 instances last summer where inspectors found zebra and/or quagga mussels on watercraft, eight of which were heading to the Okanagan Valley.

“If we are B.C.’s #1 destination for incoming mussel-infested watercraft, and we are encouraging tourism, we need to be better prepared,” explains Sue McKortoff, chair of the OBWB and Mayor of Osoyoos.

McKortoff added that if invasive mussels arrive in the Okanagan, it’s not just the people that drive boats that would be affected, saying it would become a recurring maintenance expense for in-lake infrastructure such as water lines, docks and bridges. The invasive mussels would also affect water quality and harm aquatic ecosystems.

An OBWB study from 2013 found the cost to manage an infestation of an invasive mussel species would be around $42 million annually.