Committed To Combating Aquatic Invasive Invaders
Wisconsin Lakes is committed to combating aquatic invasive invaders—however, we need to be strategic about it.
Wisconsin residents already spend millions of dollars in this effort with funds generated through the DNR, our counties, and funds raised by lake districts and associations. Yet we continue to ignore the obvious harm of ballast systems. Clean Boat Clean Water (CBCW) inspectors will remind a fishing boat to drain and dry their live wells, or remind a ski boat to pull their drain plug.
At that same launch, however, a wake boat can enter the lake carrying 8-22 gallons of a previous lake’s water with a 7 in 10 chance of delivering live zebra or quagga mussel larvae into the new lake when they fill up their tanks.
Some invaders are particularly destructive and cannot be remediated. When Lake Mendota’s Spiny Water Flea population exploded, they lost three feet of water clarity. The Madison chain of lakes have access to funding which other lakes cannot dream of approaching, and yet, Madison still cannot mitigate the ecological damage their lakes are experiencing. Spiny Water Flea has expanded into 24 Wisconsin Lakes with the most recent being Spider Lake in the Manitowish chain of lakes.
Another looming threat that denies remediation is the Quagga mussel, discovered in 2024 in Lake Geneva. These mussels have already outcompeted Zebra mussels in Lake Michigan. Unlike Zebra mussels, Quaggas can attach to soft surfaces and thrive in deeper, colder waters—conditions that could allow them to blanket the bottoms of many inland lakes if left unchecked.
Other states have established aggressive boat decontamination requirements for ballast systems including: Utah, Colorado, Idaho, and California. This decontamination unit (click HERE) can clean a boat in 15 minutes. This approach (click HERE) uses more manpower and takes about one to two hours per boat. Our state is blessed with many more lakes, however, we must come up with a plan to address ballast systems.
Proposed solution:
The boating industry and lake advocates agree that hot water flushing can kill aquatic invasive species and this solution represents a point of “common ground.” The methodology of how this solution would work in Wisconsin needs to be determined, however, the framework of the solution would be:
- All recreational boats with ballast systems must be flushed with hot water (120 degrees or greater) before being launched into a Wisconsin lake. These flushing certifications would be required annually, with a new certificate issued at the start of each boating season. This annual requirement would also prevent ballast tank antifreeze from being discharged into the lake after winter storage. Currently, many boat owners dump the RV/marine antifreeze into a lake when they fill their tanks at the beginning of the season. This is illegal in Wisconsin.
- If a boat is used on only one lake all year, it would require cleaning just once per year after coming out of winter storage. If the boater chooses to visit three lakes that season, the boat would need to be decontaminated before entering each lake.
This prevention measure is a reasonable common-sense approach to bring ballast systems in compliance with existing Wisconsin law.
How can this solution become law?
In Wisconsin, this solution can become law through:
- Legislative action (state statute)
- DNR (administrative rule)
Legislative action requires a bill to be passed by both the Assembly and Senate, and then signed by the Governor. Legislative actions require support from the majority party to move forward, since they control which bills reach the floor for a vote.
Administrative rules are typically initiated by the DNR. Residents, however, can request an
administrative rule through a petition. A petition on this issue has already been submitted to the Natural Resources Board (NRB) and awaits decisive action by the executive management team of the DNR. (click HERE)
Who will pay for it?
The ballasted boating industry could have designed their boats to meet Wisconsin laws before selling their boats in Wisconsin. They chose not to. They know that their boat design violates Wisconsin state law. At least one manufacturer’s boat owner’s manual encourages hot water flushing to kill aquatic invasive species and the use of multiple gallons of RV/marine antifreeze per tank since the tanks cannot be drained. Other manufacturers of dangerous products are required to fund solutions to remediate the danger. Consequently, ballast system boat manufacturers must be a primary partner in funding a solution.
What can you do?
- Talk to your friends who own boats incorporating ballast systems and ask them to contact their dealers and boat manufacturers to find a solution.
- Talk to dealers and marinas in your area and encourage them to become part of the
solution. - Contact your legislator to support developing a legislative solution. (Find your
legislator: click HERE) Ask the Majority Party’s leadership to support
introduction of legislation. The current leadership of the Senate includes President Mary Felzkowski (Sen.Felzkowski@legis.wisconsin.gov) and Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (Sen.LeMahieu@legis.wisconsin.gov). The current leadership of the Assembly includes Speaker Robin Voss (Rep.Vos@legis.wisconsin.gov) and Majority Leader Tyler August (Rep.August@legis.wisconsin.gov). Currently, there is no bill tackling this issue. We need to create a groundswell of support so that our legislators realize that this is a critical concern. - Contact DNR executive management to move forward with the Home Lake Rule submitted to the NRB. The current leadership of the DNR includes Secretary Karen Hyun (Karen.Hyun@wisconsin.gov), Deputy Secretary Steven Little (Steven.Little@wisconsin.gov), and Assistant Deputy Secretary Mark Aquino (Mark.Aquino@wisconsin.gov)
What can Wisconsin Lakes do?
With your support, we can keep the conversation going by having discussions with DNR and legislative staff, other advocacy groups, and YOU. Would you like Wisconsin Lakes to present on this issue at a local or regional meeting? Contact us at info@wisconsinlakes.org. We may not be able to solve all the pressures on our lakes from invasive species, but we can address the obvious harm of giving ballast systems a free pass in meeting Wisconsin law.