Immersion Procedure for Sanitizing Wading Gear

The Following procedures for cleaning NZMS infested wading gear can be followed upon exiting NZMS infested waters. Wading gear should be cleaned prior to leaving the site. If this is not possible then wading gear should be completely sealed inside of a large plastic bag and cleaned before it is used in any other waters.

A: Remove wading gear upon exiting NZMS infested waters. Avoid allowing infested wading gear to come in contact with interior surfaces of vehicles or camping gear such as tents or trailers. NZMS can be transferred to any surface they come in contact with and they could later be transferred back to cleaned wading gear. Turn waders right side out and remove insoles from wading boots. Using a stiff brush remove dirt, mud and other debris from boots/soles, waders and net.

B: Place waders, wading boots, boot insoles and the stream bed contact end of the wading stick, if used, in a container of sufficient size to allow the gear to be completely covered by a cleaning solution.

C: Pour sufficient cleaning solution into the container with the infested wading gear to completely cover the gear. It may be necessary to weight down the gear to ensure that it remains immersed in the cleaning solution.

D: Allow the wading gear to remain in the cleaning solution for at least 5 minutes.

E: Remove the wading gear from the cleaning solution one piece at a time and inspect it to make sure that all debris that could harbor NZMS has been removed from the gear as well as any NZMS that could be lodged in cracks or crevices. If necessary, use a stiff plastic bristled brush such as a kitchen brush to remove any remaining debris and mud.

F. Rinse wading gear in clean water. DO NOT USE WATER FROM THE NZMS INFESTED SOURCE. This may reintroduce NZMS to the wading gear.

G. Return cleaned wading gear to it appropriate storage container.

H. Dispose of rinse water in a Building drain that eventually goes to a water treatment plant. Do not dump into a waterway, river, pond, lake, or storm drain.