Aggressive boat inspection keeps lakes mussel-free

As of Aug. 24, Boyd Lake was still clean. Same for Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir.

Aggressive vessel inspection programs this summer at Northern Colorado’s three biggest and most popular boating destinations have so far prevented the spread of some very nasty little aquatic pests.

Zebra and quagga mussels have been spreading in bodies of water across the nation over the last 20 years, beginning when a Russian cargo ship from the Caspian Sea dumped its ballast tanks in the Great Lakes. The ballast contained the clam-shaped mussels that spawn exponentially and hitch rides on pleasure boats from one body of water…