Boaters should check for harmful species

• Fishing and launching boats in weedy lakes gives every boat owner the responsibility to help prevent the spread of invasive nuisance species of aquatic vegetation and algae.
• Boaters are required to clean weeds off their trailers, outboards and anything else they dip into the water or face the potential for significant fines up to $100 per plant in Connecticut, so a cluster of water chestnut or water milfoil hanging from the rollers of your boat could cost a hefty price.
• Didymosphenia geminata can, during the heat of summer, cause serious environmental problems. Didymo blooms create thick mats of a gray, white or brown cotton substance that can literally cover the bottom of shallow, rock-bottomed streams, smothering plants, insects and mollusks and destroying fish habitats.
• It's a microscopic organism and can stick to the bottom of boats, kayaks, canoes and wading boots, thus being spread unknowingly by otherwise environmentally conscious individuals.
• The DEP recommends everyone who enters the water, check, clean and dry.
• Check:For clumps of algae (or muck) and rinse boats, boots and other gear off as cleanly as possible before leaving. Don't rinse this stuff down drains.
• Clean:Soak and scrub all items for at least a minute in 140-degree or hotter water in a 2 percent bleach solution or 5 percent solution of salt antiseptic hand cleaner or dishwashing detergent, when possible.
• Dry:If cleaning is impossible, dry everything, including felt soles completely and wait an additional 48 hours (two days) before using them in a different stream or lake.
• This algae is more dangerous to streams, especially shallow rocky streams than lakes. But like any invasive species, don't play around if you care about the environment. Standard check, clean and dry procedures will also protect against the spread of other undesirable organisms. (Bob Sampson, Norwich Bulletin)