Boat Inspections to Start at Lexington Reservoir and Continue at Four Santa Clara County Reservoirs
Thank you Santa Clara County boaters for a successful year of vessel inspections! It's an arduous task but so many of you have done it with courtesy and respect for the staff and the inspectors. It's our mission, along with the Santa Clara Valley Water District to keep these mussel infestations out of Santa Clara County reservoirs. Reservations are strongly encouraged! To make a reservation, call 408.355.2201 or go to www.gooutsideandplay.org.
Inspections will continue throughout the winter so please be prepared! See Wet Weather Policy below.
Beginning April 15 through October 14 (7 days a week from 8am to 1/2 hour before sunset):
- Coyote Lake, Calero will be open to all boating.
- Stevens Creek and Lexington Reservoirs will be open to non-power boating only. At this time, Lexington Reservoir is hand launch only due to low water levels.
Beginning October 15 through April 14 (8am to 1/2 hour before sunset):
- Coyote Lake, Stevens Creek and Lexington Reservoirs will close to boating.
Anderson will remain open 5 days a week - closed on Wednesday and Thursdays (except open on Holidays falling on a closed day)
- Calero will remain open 5 days a week - closed on Monday and Tuesday (except open on Holidays falling on a closed day).
Please continue to be diligent in making your vessel - boat, kayak, personal watercraft etc. clean and dry. Not a spot of water can be seen or felt - even water from your beverage coolers. All other reservoirs and bodies of water are closed indefinitely to boating (including model boats) - those are Almaden, Chesbro, Sandy Wool, Cottonwood, Grant, Guadalupe, Uvas, Vasona and the percolation ponds at Los Gatos Creek County Park.
Please be aware that all watercraft entering the five Santa Clara County reservoirs mentioned above will be subject to a vessel inspection. Santa Clara County Parks wants to educate park visitors on the quagga and zebra mussel threat. These tiny mussels are an invasive species that present a negative environmental impact on California’s reservoirs and waterways. They can breed rapidly and can clog pipes and valves posing a threat to municipal water systems, aquatic food chains in lakes, access for fishing and boating, and recreation-based economics.
Based on new protocols, inspectors will perform visual inspections on every watercraft entering Anderson Lake, Coyote Lake, Calero Reservoir, Lexington and Stevens Creek Reservoir. All other county reservoirs will be closed to watercraft. Before you go out to a reservoir, please take a look at the publication (at the bottom of this page) "A Guide to Cleaning Boats" provided to you by the California Department of Fish and Game.
All watercraft, including but not limited to, power boats, personal watercraft, sailboats, kayaks, canoes, and float tubes will be subject to inspection. Please prepare your vessel – powerboats, kayaks, canoes, personal watercraft, etc. - for inspection by having them clean and DRY. (Current vessel registration documents (for 30 days) are required at the time of inspection. If the vessel is not required to be registered then the vehicle registration will be required.) All vessels that have been recently purchased will be quarantined for 30-days from the date of transfer. If you are an operator or owner of a recently purchased vessel, please make sure to bring documentation of the transfer date to show that 30 days have elapsed from the purchase date. Without proper DMV paperwork, or documentation of the transfer date, our inpsectors will not be able to inspect your vessel, and the vessel will be quarantined for 30 days from your arrival at the inspection station.
In addition to inspection, vessels coming from all counties south of the Tehachapi Mountains will be denied entry as well as vessels from out of state. those counties include: San Luis Obispo, Kern, San Bernandino, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego and Imperial.
A $7.00 non-refundable inspection fee will be collected per inspection. An annual vessel inspection pass of $65 is also offered. A vessel inspection pass is only good for one inspection on one vessel per park entry. Passes can be purchased at Parks Administration, 298 Garden Hill Drive, Los Gatos. Boating reservations can be made at www.gooutsideandplay.org or by calling (408) 355-2201.
A “banding” program is offered to vessel owners in an effort to reduce additional fees being collected. Once a vessel has left the reservoir for the day, a tyvek band may be attached to the vessel between the winch hook of the trailer and the eyebolt of the bow of the vessel. If this band is broken upon reentry into the reservoir, that vessel must be re-inspected before entering the water and an inspection fee will be collected. If any vessels are found to have water in the bilge or live well, or are not visibly clean, they will not be allowed to launch and will be subject to quarantine. Please allow yourself enough time to get your boat off the water and banded before the inspection station closes at half hour before sunset.
If a vessel fails inspection it will be quarantined for 5 days or banned indefinitely if mussels or larvae are detected on the vessel or its trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/CaliforniaDFG
WET WEATHER BOAT LAUNCH POLICY
We strongly encourage boaters to get their boat inspected and banded prior to wet weather to insure that their vessel will be able to launch on a rainy day.
However, to facilitate boating when pre-banding is not feasible, inspectors may allow a launch of an un-banded boat if the following conditions are met:
- The boat arrives covered;
- the interior of the boat is completely dry under the cover;
- when the outboard is lowered for inspection, no water flows out;
- the exterior of the boat is clean (i.e.: no mud, vegetation or rough services that may be microscopic quagga or zebra mussels),
- and, in the inspector's opinion the only exterior wetness appears to be road splash and/or rain water.
Please be aware, that the inspectors decision about whether an un-banded boat may launch on a rainy day is final. Although an inspector may allow a covered boat to launch, there is a chance a boater may be denied a launch based on the inspector's observations. If you would like to insure you can launch your boat on a rainy day, your best plan of action is to pre-band your boat.
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For additional information on the quagga and zebra mussel threat, please refer to the following resources - www.dfg.ca.gov/invasives/quaggamussel/ or www.parkhere.org.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO STAY CLEAN AND DRY!
Remember when you plan your visit to any Santa Clara County Waterways to prepare your vessel – powerboats, kayaks, canoes and jetskis - by having them clean and dry for inspection.
What is clean and dry?
Wash the hull of each vessel thoroughly.
The vessel must be clean and thoroughly DRY prior to arriving at one of the five reservoirs listed.
Inspect all exposed surfaces – small mussels feel like sandpaper to the touch.
Drain plugs pulled, no water in bilge, live well or integral coolers.
No mud, debris, aquatic weed or algae on hull, trailer or motor.
Lower units on vessels should be dry – when lowered they should not contain water.
Operators of vessels: please clean and dry your vessel prior to arrival at the park. If you are seen cleaning/drying your vessel on park property you will be quarantined for 5 days.
The future of boating in Santa Clara County waterways depends on your cooperation and support.
PLEASE KEEP OUR WATERS CLEAN AND ACCESSIBLE.