Aquatic Nuisance Species Decontamination Station

Looking to your left, you will see a small building where park rangers decontaminate (spray) all paddle craft that is used on Standley Lake. Because Standley Lake is the drinking water supply for approximately 300,000 people, protecting the lake from invasive species is a top priority. The City of Westminster does not allow any vessels or paddle craft of any kind on the water without receiving a full decontamination.

Zebra (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga (D. bugensis) mussels cost the U.S. economy up to $1 billion each year. These invasive aquatic animals clog water pipes and cover boat hulls, motors, and equipment left in lakes. Their sharp shells litter beaches, they harm native fish by consuming their food, and they often kill native mussels, crayfish, and snails.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, these invasive mussels spread from Europe to the Great Lakes in contaminated ballast water discharged from foreign ships. From there, they expanded to the Mississippi River, its tributaries, and inland lakes across the country, including Lake Powell. They spread primarily by attaching to boat hulls, trailers, and inside ballast tanks and livewells. Adults can survive out of water for up to 27 days under certain conditions, so watercraft decontaminations are an important step in preventing the spread of invasive species to Standley Lake.