Golden Mussel Prevention Program FAQs

1. Follow the Clean, Drain, Dry policy.
2. Thoroughly inspect all exposed surfaces on your vessel and trailer. If you find any mussels, scrape them off and kill them by crushing them. Alert the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at Invasives@wildlife.ca.gov or call (866) 440-9530.
3. Carefully feel your boat’s hull for any rough or gritty spots, which may be young mussels that have settled on your vessel and cannot be seen, these will feel like sandpaper.
   
4. Away from any waterway, thoroughly clean your boats hull, trailer, equipment, bilge compartment, and any other exposed surfaces.
5. Drain all water from your watercraft, pull all plugs, and dry all areas including:
   • Motor
   • Motor cooling system
   • Live wells
   • Ballast tanks/ bladders
   • Bilges and lower outboard units
   • Life jackets
   • Water skis
   • Fishing gear
   • Recreation equipment
   • Anchors
   • Ropes
6. Empty and dry all buckets and dispose of all bait in trash receptacles before you leave. Do not take bait home.
7. Clean and dry personal belongings, clothing, and footwear that have come in contact with the water.
8. Wash, dry, and brush pets that have been in the water.
9. Take your watercraft to a decontamination station or keep your watercraft dry for up to 30 days before launching again.

Note: The above guidelines are general best practices and do not replace or supersede rules and regulations at specific water bodies, including Folsom Lake and Lake Clementine.

Currently Folsom Lake and Lake Clementine are not infested with mussels. Ongoing monitoring and surveys will be conducted.

The best way to keep Folsom Lake and Lake Clemetine mussel free is to ensure each boat entering the water does not pose a risk of harboring mussels. This is done through applying a custody seal connecting the boat to the trailer. The red seals indicate the watercraft is undergoing the mandatory quarantine prior to launching at Folsom Lake or Lake Clementine. After 30 days, these watercrafts are free to launch and can have a green seal applied at the launch ramp or other identified locations when they leave the lake. The green watercraft seals are intended to identify boats who last launched at Folsom Lake and Lake Clementine that are mussel free, eliminating the need for future quarantine.

Any trailered or motorized vessels. See exemptions below.

Hand-launched, non-motorized watercraft, such as kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, outrigger canoes, rowing shells and row boats are not subject to the inspection, quarantine and seal program. Hand launched boats with electric trolling motors, such as fishing kayaks, and eFoils are also exempt from the inspection, quarantine or decontamination and seal program. All exempt watercrafts must follow the Clean, Drain, and Dry guidelines.

Due to the presence of golden mussels in the Delta and other waterways in California, Red seals are required for any vessel wishing to enter Folsom Lake and Lake Clementine, regardless of the watercraft history.

After May 14, 2025, watercraft will be allowed to launch into Folsom Lake and Lake Clementine if they have completed a 30-day quarantine or had their vessel decontaminated by an authorized decontamination station. When the watercraft leaves the lake, you must stop at the launch ramp or other identified locations and a green seal will be applied to the watercraft. Failure to have a green seal applied to the watercraft will result in having to go through another 30-day quarantine or decontamination.

Thursday, May 1, 2025, vessel inspections at Beals Point will only be available from 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM. The hours have changed on this day to allow for training of additional staff. 

Vessel inspections will be conducted at Beals Point beginning April 14, 2025, Monday through Friday, 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM. To ensure that all vessels can be inspected in time, no new vessels will be permited to enter after 6:00 PM. This process is expected to take up to 15 minutes depending on the vessel. This does not include wait time. Vessel inspections done at Beals Point are at no cost to the owner. 

Vessels must arrive Clean, Drained, and Dry.

If it is raining the vessel inspection site will be CLOSED for the day. 

The following locations are authorized to conduct the 30-day quarantine inspections and place the red seal on vessels:

Mello Marine

Marine Service Center

Uph Yoars

Although California State Parks is working in tandem with other agencies and lake managers to streamline this process, we recommend calling ahead to see if the lake you are visiting will accept the red 30-day quarantine seal or green seal issued for Folsom Lake and Lake Clementine.

When you have concluded your 30-day quarantine, you may launch at a site in Folsom Lake and Lake Clementine with a red seal still attached to your boat. State Park staff will be able to remove that seal, and the watercraft will be allowed to launch and will be replaced with green seal on your watercraft upon departure from Folsom Lake and Lake Clementine.

Please note that to receive the green seal, your watercraft must depart the lake during scheduled hours. Please check park unit webpages for most current hours.

No, after the 30-day quarantine period is over any watercraft with an intact red quarantine seal is free to launch at Folsom Lake and Lake Clementine with the red seal attached. Upon departure from the lake, you must have a green seal applied by the State Park staff.

Please note that to receive the green seal, your watercraft must depart the lake during scheduled park hours. Please check park unit webpages for most current hours.

In order to receive a green seal upon departure from the lake, it must be during scheduled park hours. Unfortunately, if the facility is closed when the watercraft is leaving the lake, the watercraft will not be able to receive a green seal and the 30-day quarantine process will start over, or a decontamination will be required to bypass the 30-day quarantine.

Beginning May 14, 2025, inspectors will be operating out of both Browns Ravine and Granite Bay. Vessels with appropriate seals and receipts can visit during operational hours to have their seals removed upon verification and launch. Inspectors will be present to band boats with green seals upon their return during operational hours.

Initial operating hours will be determined as additional staff are hired. Our goal is to staff the launches from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM for banding boats. However, in the short term, hours may be shortened as we continue to build our staffing levels to support this new program.

An inspection can take up to 15 minutes depending on the size and type of vessel. The decontamination process can take 30-60 minutes depending on the size and type of vessel. Neither of these estimated times include wait time.

Lake Natoma is primarily managed for non-motorized, hand launched watercraft, which are exempt from the 30-day quarantine and decontamination requirements. As part of this golden mussel prevention program, starting April 14, 2025, only non-motorized hand launched watercraft will be allowed on Lake Natoma. Allowable craft include kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, outrigger canoes, rowing shells and row boats. Hand launched boats with electric trolling motors, such as fishing kayaks, will be permitted on Lake Natoma.

To implement these requirements without implementing an inspection and cable seal program at Lake Natoma, bollards will be installed at the top of the boat ramps at Nimbus Flat, Willow Creek and Black Miners Bar to prevent the launching of trailered boats. The existing 5mph speed limit on Lake Natoma for motorized craft will remain in effect. All boaters, including paddlers and rowers, must arrive with their craft: Clean, Drained, and Dry.

No.

Not at Beals Point.

Inspections performed at Beals Point are free of charge. Any inspections performed by an authorized business may have a fee that is set by that business. 

Beginning May 14th, we will accept seals that meet all of the following conditions:

• The seal was placed by an entity that is using the Watercraft Inspection and Decontamination database (WID) developed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife;

• The seal has been in place for 30 or more days; and

• The vessel operator has a corresponding receipt to show when the seal was placed. 

As the program develops, we will continue to update the website to reflect what seals we will accept. 

The lake is closed to launching trailered or motorized vessels between April 14 and May 14. Because this quarantine process is a new program being implemented at Folsom Lake and Lake Clementine, State Parks is in the process of hiring and training additional staff needed to tag vessels upon leaving the lakes for continuing use here.

No, Folsom Lake SRA does not have decontamination stations within the park unit.

At this time, we do not have any approved and verified decontamination stations available. As locations become authorized for Folsom Lake and Lake Clementine decontamination the website will be updated with a list of authorized locations.

There is likely to be a cost associated with decontamination that will be set by vendors.