INVASIVE GOLDEN MUSSEL

GATE ENTRY PROCEDURE INFORMATION

Why is this new policy necessary? The golden mussel was identified in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in October 2024 and is the first known occurrence of this invasive species in North America. This species poses a significant and immediate threat to Lake Wildwood and our infrastructure. To combat this threat, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife developed a framework strategy to prevent further introduction and spread of golden mussels. https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Invasives/Species/Golden-Mussel

Frequently Asked Questions

What is LWA doing to prevent the golden mussel from entering the Lake? Quarantining ALL boats that enter the Lake Wildwood Community.

I am a LWA Member – if I bring my boat into Lake Wildwood, will it be quarantined? Yes, if it has a bilge, bladder, or live well it will be quarantined for 60 days. Other motorized boats are quarantined for 30 days.
To avoid quarantine, Member boats can be decontaminated at an approved decontamination station.
The decontamination stations and quarantine periods are subject to change as new information becomes available. A list of these decontamination stations is available at the North Gate.

What about Guest or Tenant Boats? Guest and Tenant boats that are motorized or have a bilge, live well, or that have or should have a CF number will remain quarantined for so long as they are inside the Lake Wildwood gates and therefore may never be launched into Lake Wildwood. No exceptions will be made, and a $5,000 fine will be assessed for any quarantined boat entering the waters of Lake Wildwood.

What about LWA Member Kayaks? All Kayaks (Owner or Guest) and other personal watercraft that enter LWA gates from an external site will be quarantined for 30 days. Owners are expected to honor the Quarantine Procedure and not launch the craft until the 30 days are up.

What about Guest Kayaks? All Kayaks (Owner or Guest) and other personal watercraft that enter LWA gates from an external site will be quarantined for 30 days.

Are there Outside Boat Decontamination Stations? Yes, Security maintains a list of approved decontamination stations at the North Gate. When the Boat returns to Lake Wildwood, the decontamination band must be intact and the certification paperwork in order.

Why doesn't LWA develop a decontamination station? This is being discussed but it is unlikely that it will happen in the short term due to the expense of this equipment.

Why does a lake-registered boat have to have the decal removed during quarantine? The lake community and Security Lake Patrol can easily spot a boat with no decal and know that it does not belong in our lake.

My LWA Registered Boat has been in an external storage facility, but I forgot to get a green tag last fall: Unfortunately, there will be no exceptions this year, and your boat will have to be quarantined for 30 or 60 days. You could have Security place a quarantine tag on the boat and then return it to storage during the quarantine period.

Boats That Do Not Require Quarantine: Intact LWA exit (green) band from Security. LWA registered boats that need to leave the premise (e.g., for maintenance, refueling, or storage) can be tagged when exiting the North Security Gate and can reenter without being quarantined as long as the LWA green tag is still intact. Security must check serial number.

Decontamination Certified: Lake Wildwood Registered Boats that have current Lake Wildwood registration stickers and decontaminated at a location approved by the General Manager will not have to be quarantined. In addition, all personal watercraft (LWA Owner or Guest) decontaminated at a General Manager-approved location will not have to be quarantined.

For More Information on Invasive Species please go to: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Invasives.

Boats That Do Not Require Quarantine:

Intact LWA exit (green) band. Must check serial number and security tip.

Boat that is already in quarantine and is properly banded. Must check serial number and security tip. Decal removed, see below.

Boat with decontamination band from other lake. Currently the only State certified lakes are Tahoe and Berryessa.

Tahoe Boat Inspections | Boat inspection information for Lake Tahoe

https://tahoeboatinspections.com/

All other watercraft must be quarantined. This includes any watercraft including power and pontoon boats with or without a Lake decal. This includes kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, float tubes, etc.

Method of Quarantine:

For any craft on a trailer, attach the band in such a way that the band must be broken to launch the boat.

Current decal: If the boat has a current LWA registration decal and the boat wants to enter community while under quarantine, the decal must be removed by boat owner. New one provided upon end of quarantine.

For any boat not on a trailer such as personal watercraft, attach the band in such a way that the band must remain on the craft unless it is removed and broken.

30 days vs. 60 days

Determine if a boat has a bilge, a ballast bladder, a fish live well or any other part of the boat that can store or contain water when the boat is out of the water.

If the boat has any of these it must be quarantined for 60 days. Boats not having such configuration shall be quarantined for 30 days. The previous sunlight shortened schedule will not be used.

Ending Quarantine

Decal Boats/Lake registered boats: For any boat that has or had a decal or that wants to apply for a decal, the end of quarantine must be validated by a security officer. Ensure that the decals serial number matches security records and that the security tip is intact. New decal will be issued by Member Services.

Personal Watercraft: If the owner of a personal watercraft that is quarantined and brought into the community wants to launch the craft in the Lake, contact Security at end of quarantine date. An intact band must be validated by a Security officer. The craft owner must affirm that the craft has not been launched anywhere during the quarantine period.

Boats that are not intended for lake use: All watercraft that are not intended for lake use will still be quarantined as above. However, the quarantine process serves as a notice to not launch the craft in the Lake. The band may be removed at the boat owner's discretion and Security does not need to be notified. This category of craft may come and go as the owner pleases but must be quarantined again at each entry.

Boats Leaving the Community

Any boat that is on a trailer may stop at the North Gate upon exit and request a green exit band. All information must be entered into the Security computer.

Boats with intact exit bands may re-enter as above. This includes short trips like getting fuel.

Personal watercraft are not eligible for green exit bands.

The "12 Hour" exception and the "Extended Leave" exception are no longer valid and will not be used.