Boat safety urged as Northern Nevada lakes gear up for Memorial weekend, season ahead

With help from a wet winter, law enforcement agencies in Northern Nevada are preparing for a busy boating season at Lakes Tahoe, Topaz, Lahontan and others water ways following several years of drought and tough boating conditions.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Washoe County Sheriff’s Office are all launching boats before the Memorial Day weekend to provide for public safety and enforce boating laws.

“We’ve seen challenging conditions over the past few years, but with a healthy winter behind us, we expect a lot more people out on the water,” said Chief Game Warden Tyler Turnipseed of the NDOW, the agency responsible for boating across the state. “With more boaters, we don’t want to see more accidents, so we’re being proactive with our boating safety and enforcement efforts.”

NDOW has officers stationed at all of Nevada’s major waterways, and Memorial Day weekend is the traditional kickoff to boating season.

In addition to NDOW, many other law enforcement agencies will be putting boats on the water before this busy boating season gets underway. Douglas County is launching a brand new patrol boat to work enforcement on Lake Tahoe, a lake that saw three fatal accidents last year, all on the California side of the lake.

“We’ve seen a lot more people up at Lake Tahoe, and we feel strongly that we need to be there to protect the public and enforce boating laws,” said Sheriff Ron Pierini. “We want boaters to have fun, but we also want them to stay safe.”

“The Sheriff’s Office is ready to respond as needed for on-the-water emergencies,” Washoe County Sheriff Chuck Allen said. “However, as a new boating season approaches we want to remind everyone that your safety, and the safety of your fellow boaters, depends on you. Make sure you have all the proper safety equipment and do not operate a vessel while under the influence.”

The week before Memorial Day, May 21-27, is also National Safe Boating Week, a national effort to promote safety in the upcoming boating season.

As part of this year’s Safe Boating Week, NDOW is emphasizing the importance of boating education, which is mandatory for some boaters in the state. Boaters who were born on or after January 1, 1983 are required to complete a boating course to operate a motorboat of more than fifteen horsepower on Lakes Tahoe or Topaz. The education requirement has been in place since 2003, and more and more boaters are required to have the course with every passing year.

As every year, officials also stress life jacket wear as the single greatest step boaters can take to stay safe. In fact, there has already been a successful rescue of a kayaker who capsized on Tahoe Thursday, and a life jacket appeared to make a difference in that case.

“If we could get out only one message, it would be that life jackets do save lives,” said Turnipseed.

Boaters can learn more about boating safety by listening to a podcast on the subject created by NDOW at nevadawild.org.

Meanwhile, Roadside stations for inspections and decontaminations of motorized boats and watercraft are officially open for the 2016 boating season. Locations, hours of operation and opening dates are as follows:

Meyers: At the junction of US 50 and Highway 89
Spooner Summit: At the junction of US 50 and Highway 28 in Nevada
Alpine Meadows: Highway 89, off Alpine Meadows Road north of Tahoe City
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., 7 days a week

Truckee-Tahoe: Highway 267, off Truckee Airport Road
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Thursday-Sunday, Closed Monday-Wednesday

“Boat inspections are critical to maintaining the health of Lake Tahoe and our local recreation-based economy,” said Dennis Zabaglo, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s Aquatic Resources Program Manager. “Through the efforts of the Tahoe Resource Conservation District’s trained inspectors and other private and public partners committed to the Lake, we expect to have another successful season.”

All motorized watercraft require inspection for aquatic invasive species (AIS) prior to launching into Lake Tahoe, Fallen Leaf Lake and Echo Lake. Invasive species are highly advantageous and can be transported by non-motorized water recreation equipment as well. The Tahoe Keeper program was created to inform the paddling community about the importance of inspecting equipment, including: kayaks, paddleboards, fishing equipment, inflatable water toys and life jackets.

Invasive species, such as quagga mussels, New Zealand mudsnails, and hydrilla, are known to multiply quickly and colonize underwater surfaces, including docks and piers, water supply and filtration systems, buoys, moored boats, and even the beautiful rocky shoreline. They destroy fish habitat, ruin boat engines, and can negatively impact water quality and the local economy, recreation, and ecosystem.

Boats and other watercraft are the largest transporters of AIS, and the inspection program is critical to preventing their spread into Lake Tahoe and other waterbodies. Knowingly transporting AIS into Lake Tahoe is against the law, and violators may be subject to monetary penalties.

“Boaters are encouraged to 'clean, drain, and dry' their boats prior to arriving at inspection stations in order to save time and money,” according to Nicole Cartwright, AIS Program Coordinator for the Tahoe Resource Conservation District, “make sure to drain all water, even water from your garden hose used to flush. Taking these three simple steps will get you on the water faster.”

Annual watercraft inspection fees remain unchanged from last year. The “Tahoe In & Out” inspection ranges from $35 for personal watercraft and vessels under 17 feet and up to $121 for vessels over 39 feet. The “Tahoe Only” inspection sticker is $30. An additional fee of $35 is charged for any boat requiring decontamination and an additional $10 fee for the decontamination of ballast tanks or bags.