For the first time in the six years since quagga mussels first appeared in Lake Powell, the alien mollusks are now clogging up boat engines, escalating fears that the prolific invaders could find their way into other popular lakes.
Wildlife officials in Utah and surrounding states are desperate to contain the epidemic because these mussels, which can proliferate unchecked in the absence of natural predators, encrust underwater fixtures and disrupt ecosystems.
Accordingly, boats exiting Lake Powell at Bullfrog, Halls Crossing, Wahweap and other ramps are inspected for quagga mussels. This year, more and more boats are found carrying the mussel or its larva, known as veligers, necessitating lengthy decontaminations that have forced boaters to wait for up to four hours.