No-wake buoys installed on Hayden Lake
Sixteen new no-wake buoys were installed at critical points around Hayden Lake in mid-August. Through the cooperation of many stakeholders who care for the well-being of Hayden Lake, its shoreline and recreating public will be more protected from the impact of wakes.
Courtesy photo
Since Labor Day, boaters on Hayden Lake are now benefiting from 15 new navigation buoys and one hazard buoy, recently installed and maintained by the Hayden Lake Watershed Improvement District.
The navigation buoys, meeting Coast Guard standards for Aids to Navigation, help boaters identify the 200-foot no-wake zone specified in Kootenai County ordinance to protect swimmers, fishers and non-motorized craft that recreate near the shore.
The new navigation buoys are positioned within sight of each other, marking the edge of the zone where the maximum speed is 5 mph and wakes must not exceed 4 inches.
In addition to navigation buoys, one hazard buoy has been installed in Mokins Bay to alert those enjoying lake recreation in the bay of the dangerous sandbar hidden below the surface during the high-water boating season.
Idaho Department of Lands issues encroachment permits for navigation buoys to authorized entities like the Hayden Lake Watershed Improvement District, Kootenai County, and other state or federal agencies. This set of buoys completes the 33-buoy permit issued to the watershed improvement district in cooperation with county agency stakeholders.
Buoys installed without a permit are illegal. Because they are often positioned or configured incorrectly, they make the message conveyed by legally permitted buoys ambiguous and the boating laws more challenging for the sheriff's office to enforce.
The Hayden Lake Watershed Improvement District maintains navigational buoys for the benefit of boaters and non-boaters alike, creating an easy-to-identify reminder of the safe, no-wake zone so that everyone, regardless of activity, can enjoy the beauty of Hayden Lake.
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Mary Ann Stoll is the Communication and Public Outreach Manager for the Hayden Lake Watershed Improvement District.