Voluntary boat inspections re-start at Lake Chelan this Memorial Day weekend
With the Memorial Day weekend, Chelan County Natural Resources kicks off its voluntary boat inspection program at Lake Chelan for the third season.
The inspection program aims to keep aquatic invasive species (AIS), including milfoil and quagga and zebra mussels, non-native mussels that can quickly destroy an ecosystem, from being transported via boats into the pristine waters of Lake Chelan.
Participation in the county-operated program continues to grow, with Natural Resources reporting an 86 percent voluntary participation rate last year – up from 73 percent in 2023.
“It’s great to see the public, including local residents and out-of-towners, excited about the continuation of this program,” said Stephen Lesky, natural resource specialist with Chelan County Natural Resources. “We appreciate people’s participation in and enthusiasm for the effort to keep aquatic invasive species out of Lake Chelan.”
Natural Resources started the voluntary boat inspection program after concerns arose following an AIS assessment in 2020 that concluded Lake Chelan is at a high risk for invasive mussels. Should such invasive species as quagga and zebra mussels become established in the lake, it would likely cost millions of dollars to mitigate and cause irreversible damage to the local ecosystem. Early detection and monitoring efforts are key to keeping these mussels out of our water bodies.
The boat inspections occur 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, from mid-May through September. Inspections also will occur on Monday for Memorial Day weekend.
The inspection team rotates weekends between five boat launches on Lake Chelan: Old Mill Bay, Lakeshore Marina, PUD River Walk, Lake Chelan State Park and 25 Mile State Park. The crew moves to higher-trafficked launches during busy holiday weekends.
Using a mobile decontamination trailer, or a waterless cleaning system installed at Lakeshore Marina, the inspections are also an opportunity to reinforce “Clean, Drain, Dry” principles of preventing the spread of AIS:
Clean: Clean the boat, trailer and any personal gear before leaving the ramp or parking lot.
Drain: Drain any standing water by emptying the bilge, live wells, ballast tanks and engines.
Dry: Completely air- and sun-dry the boat to eliminate unwanted guests such as AIS.
The program offers local boaters a fast-track option through the inspection process. After completing an inspection and a survey, boat owners are offered one of three types of stickers:
Chelan Resident: The light blue sticker designates those boats that only put-in on Lake Chelan.
Chelan/Douglas: This dark blue sticker is for boaters who frequent only bodies of water in Chelan and Douglas counties.
Visitor: These aqua blue stickers are for out-of-the-area boaters visiting Lake Chelan.
The stickers serve as a way to reduce inspection times for local boats and residents and show they support the inspection program. Visitor stickers also show tourist support for the program and help spread the word that Chelan is conducting inspections on arriving boats.
Lesky added that while stickers handed out last year are good for this year and the future, boat owners can expect an initial full inspection this year to kick off the 2025 boating season.
“Our inspectors will just check in with sticker-holders to see if anything has changed,” he said. “After that, any return trips to Lake Chelan will be expedited.”
Last Updated: 05/21/2025 02:35 PM
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Chelan County makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information provided on its web site. However, due to the possibility of transmission errors, HTML browser capabilities, changes made since the last update to the site, etc., neither Chelan County, nor any agency, officer or employee of Chelan County warrants the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of any information published by this system and shall not be held liable for any losses caused by reliance on the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of such information. Portions of such information may be incorrect or not current. Any person or entity that relies on any information obtained from this system does so at his or her own risk.
PLEASE NOTE: FTP browsing is no longer supported on the latest browsers, please refer below to acccess our FTP content.
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The information contained on this site is provided as a courtesy of the Chelan County. Where it exists, the "Index.txt" will contain a brief explanation of files contained in this folder
Chelan County makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information provided on its web site. However, due to the possibility of transmission errors, HTML browser capabilities, changes made since the last update to the site, etc., neither Chelan County, nor any agency, officer or employee of Chelan County warrants the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of any information published by this system and shall not be held liable for any losses caused by reliance on the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of such information. Portions of such information may be incorrect or not current. Any person or entity that relies on any information obtained from this system does so at his or her own risk.
By clicking continue, you confirm that you have read, understood and agreed to this disclaimer.
The information contained on this site is provided as a courtesy of the Chelan County. Where it exists, the "Index.txt" will contain a brief explanation of files contained in this folder
Chelan County makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information provided on its web site. However, due to the possibility of transmission errors, HTML browser capabilities, changes made since the last update to the site, etc., neither Chelan County, nor any agency, officer or employee of Chelan County warrants the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of any information published by this system and shall not be held liable for any losses caused by reliance on the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of such information. Portions of such information may be incorrect or not current. Any person or entity that relies on any information obtained from this system does so at his or her own risk.
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