SACRAMENTO – The California Farm Bureau Federation is urging boaters to clean and drain their vessels before heading to the water this Labor Day weekend.

Two destructive species of mussels can attach to boat trailers, cooling systems, boat hulls and steering equipment. Water in boats also can carry mussel larvae.

Boaters are being asked to wash boat hulls, remove plants and drain all watercraft for five days before launching in different bodies of water.

Quagga mussels from the Ukraine were first found in the Colorado River system last year and later in Southern California. Zebra mussels from Europe were found in a San Benito County reservoir in January.

The mussels can clog water intakes and disrupt ecosystems.

Last week, the California Department of Fish and Game quarantined a 32-foot cabin cruiser after it was spotted with quagga mussels encrusted on its stern as it was about to be launched into Lake Tahoe.