It’s difficult to overstate how damaging quagga or zebra mussels could be if they infiltrate Lake Tahoe. Imagine the beautiful beaches encrusted with shells so sharp that it makes a sunset stroll impossible. Boaters would find their favorite recreation ruined, as the mussels clogged their feed lines and engines and created drag on the hull. Anglers would no longer be able to fish, as the mussels would destroy the lake’s food chain.

And after the quagga and zebra mussels ruined the beaches, boats and life in the lake, it would destroy the water itself. As the fast filtering creatures increased lake clarity, sunlight would penetrate deeper into the water, creating algae blooms that could give then lake an unpleasant odor and color. The mussels have never been successfully eradicated from a large body of water.

In short, it would be devastating.

Lake Tahoe has been called the crown jewel of the Sierra. It’s pristine waters are sought out by millions of people each year who fuel our economy. If those waters are destroyed, the restaurants, hotels and services that depend on those visitors would be seriously hurt.

And all it takes is one boat.

One boat carrying one, tiny mussel, or holding a batchful of larvae in its bilges or live wells. One larvae, one mussel could wreak havoc.

The onus is on boaters, anglers and any other person who travels from one body of water to Lake Tahoe to keep these creatures out.

This summer, inspectors will be posted at public launch points to ask boaters questions and if necessary scan the boat for mussels. Compliance is now mandatory since Wednesday’s Tahoe Regional Planning Agency meeting.

But compliance should not only be mandatory by law, but by conscience and respect for the lake. A boat inspection could take a few minutes out of the day, but could save the lake from irreversible damage.