Aquatic invasive species management program proposed

The state would create a program to control aquatic invasive species under a bill heard by the Natural Resources Committee Feb. 17.

LB392, introduced by Ogallala Sen. Ken Schilz, would create the Aquatic Invasive Species Program, administered by the state Game and Parks Commission. The program would authorize the commission to monitor state waters for aquatic invasive species, hire a coordinator, enforce the program and decontaminate motor vehicles, trailers, boats and other vessels that could convey such species.

Possession, importation, exportation, sale and transport of aquatic invasive species would be prohibited by the bill.

Law enforcement and commission inspectors would be authorized to stop motor vehicles and boats for inspection, after which decontamination could be ordered. Those who refuse inspection or fail to decontaminate their vehicles would be guilty of a Class III misdemeanor, be charged a fine of at least $500 and have their vehicles subject to impoundment.

The program would be funded by a new $30 aquatic invasive species stamp required for out-of-state boats and 20 percent of Nebraska boat registration fee revenues.

Schilz said the recent detection of zebra mussels in Zorinsky Lake and its infestation of the Offut Air Force Base Lake warrant a program to deal with such invasive aquatic species. Colorado, Iowa and Kansas have programs similar to LB392 to combat zebra mussels, he said.

“The threat of infestation by aquatic invasive species is high for many water bodies in Nebraska,” Schilz said. “An aquatic invasive species program could help mitigate costs.”

Dave Tunink, representing the state Game and Parks Commission, testified in support of LB392. Most states have some level of boat inspection to prevent infestation, he said, and many require that boats exiting state lakes be completely drained and cleared of vegetation.

Lake McConaughy in particular could be susceptible to contamination from an out-of-state vessel, Tunink said. A survey of boats at the lake last year found that 49 percent of the vessels were not from Nebraska, with a total of 22 states represented.

Karie Decker, coordinator of the Nebraska Invasive Species Project at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, testified in a neutral capacity. Aquatic invasive species like zebra mussels, phragmites and Asian carp can damage hyrdropower plants, irrigation, fishing habitats and municipal infrastructure, she said. The total cost of aquatic invasive species treatments nationwide is $20 billion a year, she said.

Zebra mussels clog irrigation pipes and intake pipes at power plants and water treatment facilities, Decker said, as they out-compete sport fish for food. When the mussels die, she said, their sharp shells float to the shoreline and make beaches unsafe.

Decker said the city of Wichita recently allocated $2 million to upgrade water treatment facilities due to problems caused by zebra mussels.

The committee took no immediate action on the bill.