Last weekend, watercraft inspectors found golden mussels, a highly invasive aquatic species, on a 65-foot boat that was headed to Lake Tahoe. Experts say golden mussels pose an extreme threat to Lake Tahoe. To stop the mussels from getting into the lake, this spring, Tahoe implemented much stricter measures that go beyond the norm, requiring that every single motorized boat not just be inspected but also be decontaminated before hitting the water. The boat carrying the golden mussels was put into quarantine until it’s deemed risk-free, according to the Tahoe Environmental Planning Agency. The close call was the first time officials intercepted the golden mussels at one of Tahoe’s boat inspection stations. … If the mussels were to reach Lake Tahoe, they would wreak havoc on the ecosystem and degrade water quality, and there’s no getting them out, experts say. 

Other golden mussels news:

• KRCR (Redding, Calif.): K9s help keep invasive mussels out of Whiskeytown Lake​
• CBS Sacramento (Calif.): Video: How an Auburn business is helping prevent the spread of golden mussels