Otter Tail County adds self-service watercraft rinse station in Erhard

Otter Tail County has put a self-service watercraft rinse station at Erhard City Park, at County Highway 24 and Park Avenue in Erhard, giving boaters a quick place to clean hulls, trailers and gear before moving on to another lake. In a county built around water, the new station is a small piece of infrastructure with a larger purpose: slowing the spread of aquatic invasive species that can threaten boating access, shoreline use and the tourism economy tied to Otter Tail County’s lake country.

The City of Erhard collaborated to host the station, placing it where everyday lake traffic already passes. That matters because a rinse stop only works if it is easy enough to use on the way in or out. Erhard Mayor Gary Stadum said, “We are glad to host a rinse station in Erhard.” County officials are leaning on convenience as much as education, using a self-service setup to make prevention part of the normal launch-and-pull-out routine rather than an extra trip.

The Erhard site adds to an existing county system. Otter Tail County also operates a staffed decontamination unit at the Otter Tail Lake Sportsman Public Water Access, 1.5 miles south of downtown Ottertail City off Highway 78. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says Minnesota’s watercraft inspection program began in 1992 and is one of the largest in the nation. When needed, decontamination can include a hot-water rinse and, on occasion, a high-pressure spray to remove aquatic invasive species.

Those species are already a concern across Minnesota lakes. The East Otter Tail Soil & Water Conservation District lists zebra mussels, Eurasian watermilfoil, spiny waterflea, faucet snails and curly-leaf pondweed among the invasive species present in the state. In a county that says it has 1,048 lakes, keeping those organisms from moving between launches is not just an environmental goal. It is a practical defense of fishing, swimming, docks, resorts and the public water access points that support local business.

Otter Tail County’s Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force says its mission is to develop programs and strategies to protect county waters through public awareness, education, containment, research and recommendations to county commissioners. County records show that in 2020, inspectors performed 14,372 watercraft inspections, logged 12,213 hours and covered 85 water bodies. Deputy Paul Peterson began serving as the county’s AIS deputy in July 2020. A March 2025 county lake association newsletter had already referenced an Erhard self-service watercraft rinse station as part of scheduled AIS tool station installations, signaling that the new site was part of a broader prevention buildout.