H2O fun or folly?

By BRIAN WALKER

Staff Writer

COEUR d'ALENE — Kootenai County is taking steps to restore order on waterways it manages amid a massive increase in traffic.

County commissioners on Tuesday requested that staff draft ordinances to limit noise at county-owned or managed marine facilities between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. and to eliminate side-tying of vessels at such properties to halt dock damage.

The Parks and Waterways Advisory Board also presented three recommendations to commissioners, including an additional two full-time marine deputies with an emphasis on the Spokane River, mandatory boater education for those who have boating violations, and funding for public education campaigns.

"We believe these would help reduce a lot of issues," Terry Werner, an advisory board member, told commissioners.

Commissioners made no financial commitments during the meeting, saying that staffing the jail expansion has been a top budget priority.

Wake surfing, a relatively new activity on the Spokane River and lakes, continues to be a hot-button topic because it’s being blamed for some erosion problems.

While making the entire Spokane River a no-wake zone has been mentioned, the idea hasn't caught traction.

Fred Gabourie, who has lived on the river 42 years, said he believes the river is too small for wake surfing.

"These minority of water users are causing the majority of the damage," he said. "They're designed to make big waves.

"There's a time and place for everything. The time is 8 p.m. to sundown and the place is Lake Coeur d'Alene. That's a body of water that can handle that kind of activity. If something is not done, the issue will never go away."

Sid Wurzburg, who lives on Spirit Lake, is concerned about environmental damage on smaller lakes from such activities and believes the sport belongs only on Coeur d'Alene and Pend Oreille.

"I don't think you can or should ban the sport, but you've got to protect the small lakes and that's almost all of us," Wurzburg said.

Nick Snyder, the county's parks and waterways director, said the growing trend of ballast boats designed to create larger wakes, more homes with boats on the waterways, a lack of adequate law enforcement and a huge increase of users has resulted in a hike of citizen complaints over the past six years.

He said boat launches have become so busy that the sheriff's office has increased parking tickets, but boaters have told him they are happy to pay the $100 fine to get on the water.

Public hearings will be held on both of the proposed ordinances later this summer.

The noise control ordinance will be presented after business owners in Harrison argued that late-night and early-morning noise was driving business away.

Since decibel meters pick up all noise, including regular traffic, Sheriff Ben Wolfinger suggested that the ordinance should be based on a deputy's hearing so many feet from the activity because that would be easier to enforce.

He said the city of Coeur d'Alene made that switch when he was on the council and noise issues then became enforceable.

Wolfinger said the earliest any newly approved marine deputies could be hired would be next year because training for such positions occurs in the spring.

While no vote was taken, commissioners spoke in support of the advisory board's recommendation of mandatory boater education (in lieu of paying a fine) for those who have boating violations. A similar traffic school exists for driving tickets.