Zebra mussels made their way into a number of Manitoba waterways over 10 years ago. They have been joined by other aquatic invasive species like the spiny water flea and rusty crayfish.

In November 2015, as part of the water protection act, the Province’s “Clean, Drain, Dry” program became law as a measure to curb the spread of A-I-S.

Jeff Long, the Aquatic Invasive Species Director for Manitoba describes here how people should clean anything that’s been in the water.

“When you pull your water craft, gear, beach toys or whatever out of the water, you need to clean it. What you need to do is remove anything that was in that water body that should have stayed in that water body.”

Long says that includes any vegetation or organisms.  If you find either one, they should be disposed of in the garbage.

Then you should drain the water from your vessel and dry everything completely, to make sure you are not moving anything from that water body to another.

For more details about the Clean Drain Dry program, listen to Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.