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Utah decontaminates hundreds of boats for 'STD of the Sea' during July 4 weekend

A DNR worker hoses down a jet ski after it was pulled from a Utah reservoir.
The Utah Department of Natural Resources
A DNR worker hoses down a jet ski after it was pulled from a Utah reservoir.

The Utah Department of Natural Resources and other wildlife agencies inspected nearly 10,000 boats, paddle boards and other watercraft for invasive species between July 3 and 6.

The inspections were part of an ongoing effort to prevent the spread of quagga mussels, also known as the STD of the Sea, and other aquatic invasive species from Lake Powell and infested reservoirs outside Utah.

Statewide, technicians inspected 9,847 boats and decontaminated 386 from Friday to Monday.

DNR officers also found several violations of Utah laws established to prevent the spread of invasive mussels.

That includes watercraft users failing to take the mandatory mussel-aware boater course. Anyone planning to launch a boat, paddle board, canoe or other watercraft into Utah waters is required to take the free course.

Lake Powell is the only Utah reservoir infected with the invasive quagga mussels which can remove plankton from water and hurt native fish species.