WASHINGTON, Conn.—The boat decontamination program at Lake Waramaug was put into operation last Saturday, April 18.
The program pairs watercraft inspection at the Washington town boat ramp with a mobile hot-water decontamination unit based at the New Preston Fire Station. These efforts make Lake Waramaug the first lake in Connecticut to implement an integrated aquatic invasive species (AIS) prevention program int the hope of protecting its clean water from hydrilla, zebra mussels and other harmful invaders.
The new effort, sponsored by the Lake Waramaug Conservancy, the Lake Waramaug Authority and the towns of Washington, Warren and Kent has provoked comment from area residents alarmed at the price tag of purchasing the decontamination unit and manning it during the open water recreation season. At a recent Kent Board of Finance meeting, it was voted to drastically cut the amount the town would pay toward the program from the requested $23,000 to $7,550.
Under the program, boats will be inspected at the boat launch and then, if there is visible signs of contamination or areas of the boat or itstrailer that cannot be observed, it will be sent to the decontamination unit.
Decontamination will take place in New Preston where there is no chance of wash from the process getting into the lake.
Efforts to protect Lake Waramaug date back more than 50 years, to a partnership among the three towns, the Lake Waramaug Conservancy (formerly the Lake Waramaug Task Force), the Lake Waramaug Authority and the Lake Waramaug Association. The lake earned Connecticut’s first Heritage Lake designation in 2000.
The 2004 Lake Waramaug agreement between the three towns and the state followed, requiring that motorboats launching into Lake Waramaug pass a mandatory inspection for environmental fitness by the Town of Washington. The WID Program enables the Washington to continue to meet its obligations under the agreement.
Hydrilla verticillata, an aggressive invasive plant with a unique strain first identified in the Connecticut River, has spread to more than two dozen waterbodies across the state in just a few years. Zebra mussels, another detrimental invasive species, are now established in multiple lakes within a short drive of Waramaug, including Candlewood, Lillinonah, and Zoar.
Trailered motorboats are by far the single largest pathway by which invasives spread from one waterbody to another. Protecting Lake Waramaug by preventing AIS introduction on boats and trailers which have been used in other lakes is the only cost-effective defense.
The Lake Waramaug program is modeled on best practices from leading WID programs nationwide, including Lake George, Lake Tahoe and state programs of New York, Minnesota, Colorado and Idaho. Lake George has completed more than 390,000 inspections over the past 12 years and intercepted more than 1,400 boats carrying visible invasive species.
During that period, no new invasive aquatic plant species have been introduced to the lake. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which operates one of the nation’s largest and most successful state-level WID programs, has provided technical assistance on the design and operation of Lake Waramaug’s mobile decontamination unit.
All trailered boats will be required to complete hot-water decontamination before their initial launch into Lake Waramaug each season unless stored over the winter at a marina operating under a Marina Manifest Agreement. All boats new to Lake Waramaug (rental boats, demonstration boats and new boats) will require decontamination regardless. Marinas and boat owners with questions about Marina Manifest Agreements should contact the program at LakeWaramaugWIDProgram@gmail.com
Decontamination will be performed by trained technicians at the New Preston Fire Station, just 1.2 miles from the Washington town ramp. Most decontaminations are completed in 10 to 20 minutes. More complex vessels, such as those with inboard or I/O engines, ballast tanks or multiple live wells may require 45 to 60 minutes. Boats that are dirty or wet may take additional time, while clean, drained and dry boats will be decontaminated quickly.
Canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, and other car-top watercraft are subject to the same Clean-Drain-Dry standard as trailered boats but do not require hot-water decontamination. Inspectors at the Washington Town Ramp will conduct a brief visual inspection and confirm that the vessel is clean, drained and dry before launch.
Car-top boats that have been in another waterbody within the past 30 days should be cleaned, drained and fully dried before arrival; vessels that fail to meet the standard at the ramp will be directed to the New Preston decontamination station before launching.
After a vessel and trailer have been decontaminated, a numbered, tamper-proof security seal will be installed between the nose of the boat and the trailer. Any boat arriving at the Washington ramp with a valid seal and receipt from Lake Waramaug will be allowed to launch following verification by the inspector, without need for further decontamination. Boat operators may request a security seal be issued upon exiting Lake Waramaug if they plan to return.
The decontamination station operates on an abridged schedule running parallel to the ramp hours. Appointments are available for boaters who want to minimize waiting by sending an email to LakeWaramaugWIDProgram@gmail.com. All emails will be answered within 48 hours.
The Washington town boat ramp opened for the season April 18. Spring hours are Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays, 6–11 a.m. and 4 p.m.–sunset. Summer hours (June 13 – Sept. 7) expand to daily operation.
The launch of the Watercraft Inspection and Decontamination (WID) Program is the result of broad partnership across the Lake Waramaug community, and continued support from local organizations is essential to its success. Community organizations, lake associations, conservation groups, marinas, anglers’ groups and other partners can support the program by: Designating a contact person for program updates throughout the season, and volunteering for outreach events at the Washington town ramp during the season
Organizations interested in partnering should contact the program at LakeWaramaugWIDProgram@gmail.com.
For more information, visit: Lake Waramaug Conservancy; Lake Waramaug Authority; Town of Washington; Town of Warren, or Town of Kent.