Since Jan. 25, an off-road vehicle has been resting on the bottom of Payette Lake beneath an estimated 200 feet of water. Next week, that may change.
The vehicle’s owner, McCall resident Dan Scott, told officials with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality that he expects the sunken vehicle to be pulled from the lake next week.
“I followed up with the owner of the UTV last week,” DEQ Waste and Remediation Manager Matthew Pabich told Valley Lookout on Wednesday. “There is no certain date set yet, but it’s anticipated for the week of Memorial Day.”
Scott told DEQ he is hiring Mountain West Commercial Diving to remove the vehicle, though it is unclear how. The Boise-based diving company has not returned messages left by Valley Lookout.
Valley County Sheriff Kevin Copperi said the sheriff’s office does not currently expect to be involved in the removal operation.
“We have no active role in it, at this point,” Copperi said “If we are requested to be in the area for boat traffic control or something like that, we will gladly respond and complete that request.”
Scott, a real estate broker for Whitetail Club and the former president and general manager of Shore Lodge, declined to comment to Valley Lookout on Wednesday.
Scott was driving the vehicle on Jan. 25 when it broke through thin ice and sank to the bottom of Payette Lake near Brown Park. Scott and his passenger, Richard Scott, escaped the vehicle unharmed.
No deadlines set
Dan Scott is required to remove the vehicle from the lake at his own expense, though DEQ has not set a deadline for the removal because he has been cooperative.
“If the UTV is not removed by the end of the month, we will re-evaluate the situation and the potential need to set a deadline for removal,” said Troy Smith, Boise regional office administrator for DEQ.
DEQ did not issue any citations for the incident, but sent Scott a letter identifying violations of state standards for hazardous materials and petroleum spills, Smith said
The vehicle, a 2017 Polaris RZR 900S Trail, was estimated to have about seven to eight gallons of fuel in its tank when it sank.
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A risk assessment conducted by DEQ following the incident concluded that the UTV posed a “very low” risk to human health and water quality in the lake.
No contaminants associated with the UTV have been found in filters at the City of McCall’s water treatment plant, Water Systems Manager Sabrina Sims said Wednesday.
