Voluntary boat inspections return to Lake Chelan
- 11 hours ago
- 3 min read
Chelan County Natural Resources restarts its voluntary boat inspection program at Lake Chelan Thursday, with more inspection days planned for the 2026 boating season.
Watercraft inspectors will kick off the season April 16-19 at Mill Bay Marina. They will rotate among five locations around the lake, typically following a Thursday through Sunday schedule. Inspections are from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Additional grant funding from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife is allowing Natural Resources to expand the program this year. Inspections for aquatic invasive species (AIS) are beginning more than a month early and will go through September. Holiday weekends will be expanded to five days. Last year, inspections were Friday through Sunday.
“Inspections are still voluntary, but the more participation from the public, the better to protect against the spread and introduction of aquatic invasive species and keep the lake clean and healthy,” said Stephen Lesky, senior natural resource specialist with Chelan County Natural Resources.
Now in its fourth season, the program aims to keep AIS, including milfoil and quagga, zebra and golden mussels, from being transported via boats into the pristine waters of Lake Chelan. Should such invasive species 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 water bodies.
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, when hours are expanded to Thursday through Monday.
Participation in the county-operated program continues to grow, with Natural Resources reporting a 95 percent voluntary participation rate in 2025 – up from 86 percent in 2024.
The program also 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.
Stickers handed out last year are good for this year; however, boat owners can expect an initial full inspection to kick off the 2026 boating season.
A community informational program on Lake Chelan Aquatic Invasive Species Inspections will be presented by Chelan County Natural Resources and Meadow Run Environmental starting at 6:00 p.m., Thursday, April 23 at the Chelan County Fire Station at 232 E Wapato Ave. in Chelan.
As pristine as Lake Chelan appears, it is susceptible to aquatic invasive species (AIS) brought in by watercraft from other water bodies. To prevent new biological invasions, Chelan County has implemented a voluntary inspection program designed to detect and prevent aquatic invasive species on boats transported into the Lake Chelan watershed.
Currently, the Lake Chelan Collaborative, a Chelan County Natural Resources' sponsored technical working group, is also undertaking a feasibility study for a mandatory aquatic invasive species inspection program intended to prevent future AIS introductions.
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