SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — An optional online appointment system for Lake Tahoe boat inspections designed to save time and add convenience opens this week.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and Tahoe Resource Conservation District, who lead the aquatic invasive species boat inspection program, will open online appointments at 8 a.m. April 1 at tahoeboatinspections.com as a complement to drop-in inspection service, said a press release.

Appointments can be scheduled for a $15 convenience fee for any date between May 1 and Sept. 30, according to the agencies. Each of the three regional inspection stations will have multiple inspection lanes available at all times, with double capacity at the Alpine Meadows station. The agencies remind boaters that the Truckee Airport inspection station is no longer in operation. The three regional stations are Alpine Meadows, Spooner Summit and Meyers.

Inspections are available without an appointment any time of the year, the agencies said. Showing up to the inspection station clean, drained and dry will help keep the waters of the Tahoe region safe and get boaters on the water faster.

For a list of inspection fees, visit here.

Boat inspection facts:

Since 2008, the Lake Tahoe boat inspection program has intercepted and decontaminated hundreds of vessels carrying invasive species and annually certifies approximately 15,000 motorized watercraft free of invasive species.

AIS can have devastating environmental and economic impacts, affecting industries, communities, and native species. Reports estimates the economic impact of a new species could be $20 million a year.

Watercraft are the largest source of aquatic invasive species spreading around the Western U.S. Under Lake Tahoe’s watercraft inspection program, every motorized watercraft is inspected or decontaminated before launch.

Paddlers and non-motorized watercraft owners should make sure their craft and equipment are clean, drained and dry and dispose of any plants or debris before entering a new water body, even within the lakes of the Tahoe region. Paddlers can learn how to self-inspect and become a Tahoe Keeper at http://www.tahoekeepers.org.