Author: Ben Scofield, Coeur d’Alene Tribe Water Resource Specialist
In all seriousness watercraft hygiene is an important subject in these days of increasing pressure upon our shared waterways. The Idaho State Department of Agriculture which operates watercraft inspections stations throughout the state recorded about 125,416 inspections in 2025. Each of these watercraft trips represent an opportunity for an aquatic invasive species (AIS) to jump from an infested waterbody to an un-infested one.
With the detection of quagga mussel in the Middle Snake River near Twin Falls, Idaho in September 2023, watercraft hygiene has become even more important. Quagga and their close relative zebra mussels have been called one of the most consequential AIS of North America. Recent estimates to remove quagga and zebra mussels from water infrastructure in the Great Lakes region are around $500 million (USD) annually. Given their habit of attaching to hard surfaces they will grow on nearly anything in the water including boats, docks, water pumps, and other water infrastructure like hydropower dams and irrigation canals.
These non-native mussels are just as impactful to the aquatic ecosystems that they infest. Being filter feeders, they pull water into their shells to strain out edible material in the overlying water. This includes suspended algae and zooplankton, which make up the foundation of many aquatic food webs. This leaves plankton eating fish (e.g. small fish) with much less food. Quagga and zebra mussels are such effective filterers that they have starved particular fisheries in the Great Lakes region.
Given that watercraft are a major “vector” in moving aquatic invasive species like quagga mussel from place to place, it becomes critical for watercraft owners to keep their prized boats and other watercraft spotless. This is where the “clean, drain, and dry” mantra originates from and why it is so important for watercraft owners to stop at watercraft inspection stations. Stopping is mandatory at many stations and some even offer a free “hotwash”, which is an ideal decontamination method. Letting watercraft air dry in hot weather for at least week after washing can also be effective.
In 2024, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s Water Resources Program was awarded a grant from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to purchase a waterless cleaning station. While not as effective as a pressurized hotwash, cleaning stations such as these have other advantages such as being self-service and mobile. The cleaning station includes a high-pressure blower, a grabber tool, a vacuum, a scrub brush, and a boat plug wrench. These cleaning features help boaters remove debris, mud, and plants from their watercraft. This helps prevent the spread of AIS and increases awareness of AIS issues.
The cleaning station was placed at Rocky Point Boat Launch in 2025, from May to November and it logged a total of 303 use sessions. The air blower was the most popular tool followed by the boat plug wrench. While three-hundred odd cleaning sessions is a drop in the annual boat traffic bucket, it’s a step in the right direction for watercraft hygiene.
Please give the cleaning station a try next time you visit Chatcolet Lake. It will be moved to the Chatcolet Lake Boat Launch in 2026, given the impending improvements at the Rocky Point Boat Launch. Also, if you see quagga mussels or some other unusual aquatic plant or animal, please report it to the Tribe’s Water Resources Program (208) 686-6206 or to the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (208) 332-8500.
