Online appointments available for Tahoe boat inspections
Boaters heading to Tahoe this season will have an optional online appointment system for boat inspections as a complement to drop-in inspection service.
The online system launched last Friday. According to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the Tahoe Resource Conservation District, which lead the aquatic invasive species boat inspection program, it’s intended to add convenience and help boaters save time.
Appointments can be scheduled now for a $15 convenience fee for any date between May 1 and Sept. 30, according to the agencies. Each of the three regional inspection stations will have multiple inspection lanes available at all times, with double capacity at the Alpine Meadows inspection station. The Truckee Airport inspection station is no longer in operation. The three regional stations are located at Alpine Meadows, Spooner Summit, and Meyers.
Inspections are available without an appointment any time of the year, the agencies said. Showing up to the inspection station clean, drained, and dry will help keep the waters of the Tahoe Region safe and get boaters on the water faster.
• Since 2008, the Lake Tahoe boat inspection program has intercepted and decontaminated hundreds of vessels carrying invasive species and annually certifies approximately 15,000 motorized watercraft free of invasive species.
• AIS can have devastating environmental and economic impacts, affecting industries, communities, and native species. Reports estimate the economic impact of a new species could be $20 million a year.
• Watercraft are the largest source of aquatic invasive species spreading around the western U.S. under Lake Tahoe’s watercraft inspection program, every motorized watercraft is inspected or decontaminated before launch.
• Paddlers and non-motorized watercraft owners should make sure their craft and equipment are clean, drained, and dry and dispose of any plants or debris before entering a new body of water, even within the lakes of the Tahoe Region. Paddlers can learn how to self-inspect and become a Tahoe Keeper at http://www.tahoekeepers.org.
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