AIS Decontamination Station

​Please Help Protect Our Waters from Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS).

The methods for preventing the spread of AIS are simple and do not take much time. These invasive plants and animals "hitch a ride" on our boats, trailers, jet skis, fishing gear, and other recreational gear. Cleaning this equipment properly every time before transporting it is the best preventive measure for stopping the spread of AIS.

Specialized decontamination stations in the Ely area (3 in total) are now available for residents and non-residents free of charge.

The decontamination station closest to the White Iron Chain is located at the Ely Chamber of Commerce parking lot (intersection of Hwy 169 and Hwy 1, Ely, MN 55731). Since beginning operation this summer, 40 boats have been through the decontamination process at the Ely Chamber of Commerce parking lot. Three of the boats had weeds, but no invasive species were found. The process takes 7 to 10 minutes.

WICOLA strongly encourages members to decontaminate their boats when moving lake-to-lake and to also encourage their guests bringing boats to our Chain of Lakes to also take advantage of this decontamination service.

The hours of operation for the Ely Chamber of Commerce decontamination station are;