Osoyoos Times – April 11, 2017
The Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) is welcoming significant new measures announced recently by the province to address the threat of invasive mussels to B.C. waterways.
The B.C. government announced March 30 that it is adding two new inspection stations, expanding inspection hours, more than doubling the number of inspectors, increasing public education, expanding scientific lake monitoring and employing a mussel-sniffing dog.
OBWB Chair Tracy Gray expressed support for the new measures saying many of the new measures have been on the OBWB’s wish list.
Invasive zebra and quagga mussels have been spread across North America, mainly by recreational boaters who fail to properly clean, drain and dry their boats after using them in infested waters.
Until last fall, the U.S. Northwest and Canadian provinces west of Manitoba were free of mussels, but in November mussels were found in Montana, prompting a Natural Resource Emergency.