State announces plan to stop zebra mussels

BOSTON (AP) -- Massachusetts officials have released a new plan to prevent the invasive zebra mussel from spreading.

Boaters in the Hoosic and Housatonic watersheds have to clean, drain and dry their boats if they travel in waters infested with zebra mussels.

Recreational boaters who fail to clean their boats could face fines and other penalties.

The invasive mussel species was found in Laurel Lake in Lee and Lenox in early July. As a precaution, the state later banned recreational boats from the Quabbin Reservoir, a source of drinking water for Greater Boston.

The mussels first invaded the Great Lakes in 1988 and have spread to many other U.S. waterways, often carried unwittingly by boat owners.

The nonnative mussels can kill native aquatic animals and clog water intake pipes.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

APNP-08-18-09 1709EDT