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Editorial
Boaters asked to keep selves, state waters safe
Monday, May 18, 2015
Tourism officials once touted the "Great Lakes" of Southwest Nebraska, and while we never lost them, the rising water level in Hugh Butler Lake is certainly improving prospects for water sports in our area.
If it's been a while since you've had the boat out, don't relearn safety lessons the hard way.
The Nebraska Game & Parks Commission is using Nebraska Boating Safety Week May 16-22 to remind boaters of ways to reduce the risk of accidents and make sure you have a safe and enjoyable day on the water.
* Wear a life jacket. Children under 13 and anyone on a personal water craft is required to wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device. Anyone being towed on skis, a tube or similar device must also must wear a life jacket.
* Avoid alcohol. Heat and dehydration can make boat operators more prone to impairment than motor vehicle drivers. Boating Under the Influence is a crime and enforced actively in Nebraska.
* Have all required safety equipment. This includes life jackets, throw cushions, fire extinguishers and bailing devices. Check out the 2015 Boating Guide at BoatSafeNebraska.org.
* Be aware of your surroundings. The best boat operators constantly look around for other boats, personal watercraft, swimmers, stumps and other hazards. Speed is restricted to 5 mph within 30 yards of any other vessel, swimming area or dock.
* Take a boating safety course. Anyone born after Dec. 31, 1985, who operates a motorboat or personal watercraft in Nebraska must have successfully completed the Nebraska boating safety course. Visit BoatSafeNebraska.org for a list of classes.
But responsible boating isn't just about the safety of people.
The Nebraska Public Power District is pleading with boaters to help prevent the spread of a harmful mollusk throughout the state.
The creature, the zebra mussel, is about the size of a finger nail but in infested waters causes millions of dollars to boat motors, steering components and recreation, water systems and fisheries.
NPPD is concerned because zebra mussels clog the cooling intakes of power plants, costing millions of dollars to clear.
Gerald Gentleman Station near Sutherland, the North Platte Hydroelectric Plant and Cooper Nuclear Station on the Missouri River all depend on canal or river water for cooling.
An adult female zebra mussel releases up to a million eggs a year, quickly taking over a waterway.
Denton, Texas, noticed a thin layer of zebra mussels on some intake pipes leading from a reservoir into the water treatment facility -- it cost $500,000 to remove them.
Nebraska has been lucky so far, NPPD officials said, but the pest was recently discovered in the waters at Offutt Air Force Base and along a dock on the South Dakota side of Lewis & Clark Lake.
NPPD, the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission and the Nebraska Invasive Species Project ask boaters to make a special effort to clean out, drain and dry their boats to prevent the pest from spreading.
Drain bilges and live wells, power-wash to boat, motor and trailer and if draining is impossible, use a cup of bleach to kill any live mussels. It's also a good idea to dry the boat for several days before its next use.
Check out the Nebraska Invasive Species Project at http://bit.ly/1FjSAfo and the Nebraska Game & Parks website at http://1.usa.gov/1FjSNz7