Wednesday April 8, 2026
KRCR —
Boaters heading to Ruth Lake this summer will face a new mandatory 30-day quarantine requirement aimed at keeping highly destructive invasive mussels out of the reservoir that supplies water to the Humboldt Bay region.
The Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District and the Ruth Lake Community Services District announced the joint implementation of the quarantine program for watercraft entering Ruth Lake with ballast tanks or other components that cannot be drained. The districts said the measure is intended to prevent the introduction of golden, zebra, and quagga mussels, which can clog water infrastructure, damage boat engines, and destroy native ecosystems.
“We put a red band on their boat to be able to track it. It’s to make sure all boats are completely clean, drained, and dry. And they’re not transporting from one lake to another. So if somebody went to another lake, there needs to be a 30-day period in between just to make sure there’s no transfer of any water or any type of species from another body of water,” said Ruth Lake Community Services District Manager Caitlin Canale.
Officials said the 30-day quarantine is being enforced before summer to ensure watercraft are decontaminated and to reduce the risk of mussels being transported into the lake. Matis said invasive mussels have not been detected in Northern California, but warned that boat traffic can move quickly along major routes.