Allowing the expanded use of mini-jet boats on the North Fork Payette River is among the topics to be considered as Valley County begins an update of its waterway regulations.
The Valley County Waterways Advisory Committee will begin discussing possible rule changes on Tuesday at 9 a.m. as part of a five-year review initiated by the county commissioners.
Public comments will not be accepted at Tuesday’s meeting, though public hearings must be held before any changes can be adopted.
Currently, the North Fork is closed to motorized boats between Payette Lake and the Tamarack Falls fishing bridge on Lake Cascade. It is also closed to motorized use north of Payette Lake.
A boating advocacy group, however, is seeking to change that. The Western Whitewater Association recently contacted county officials to express interest in opening the river to motorized use up to Payette Lake.
“We have gotten a request from some local residents of McCall asking for our support in hopes of reopening the section of Smiley Creek to Payette Lake from the months of April-July for motorized boats,” WWA Vice President Shawn Schnitker said in a May 9 email to Valley County Planning and Zoning Director Cynda Herrick.
County eyes expanded restrictions
While Western Whitewater seeks more motorized access, Valley County Recreation Director Dave Bingaman said the county hopes to add new motorized use restrictions.
“I will be presenting the county’s interest in closing the tributaries to motorized use and gathering input from the committee on that and any additional items that we want to look at when we start the amendment process later this fall,” Bingaman said.
The county does not yet have a proposal on which tributaries it could add restrictions to, but Bingaman expects Lake Fork Creek to be among them. A firm proposal is expected by this fall.
In recent years, Bingaman said motorized boats, including mini-jet boats, have found their way into several Lake Cascade tributaries.
“The mini jet issue is a relatively new issue,” he said. “The county has received quite a few complaints about this use on Lake Fork Creek and some of the other tributaries in the North Fork Drainage over the last three or four years.”
Most of the complaints are related to noise and safety, but Bingaman has also heard concerns about erosion, sediment disturbance, water quality, and harm to wildlife habitat.
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Legality of existing rules questioned
Schnitker’s note to the county called into question the legality of existing restrictions on the river, but did not elaborate further.
“I understand that it was potentially closed illegally but cannot be certain,” Schnitker said. “We recognize this is a public waterway that is enjoyed by many, but would like to come up with a solution that accommodates the motorized boaters as well as non-motorized.”
A July 24 post on WWA’s Facebook page says the club’s attorney is concerned the restrictions are “illegally imposed.”
Neither Western Whitewater nor Schnitker responded to requests for comment by Valley Lookout.
Jally Zeydel, who chairs the waterways committee, told Valley Lookout the board has seen “nothing concrete” from Western Whitewater so far.
“Right now we are not sure of what exactly is being proposed,” Zeydel said. “We have heard rumors.”
Regulatory background
The waterways committee will be responsible for making a recommendation to the county commissioners on proposed changes to the waterways rules.
Any proposal could not be adopted until after a public hearing before the Valley County Commissioners.
The current waterways rules were adopted in 2020 by Valley County after a lengthy process that spanned multiple years. The rules were based in part on recommendations in the Valley County Waterways Management Plan.
The rules established a 300-foot no-wake zone for much of Payette Lake and Lake Cascade. Motorized use was also banned on the North Fork between Lake Cascade and Payette Lake and above Payette Lake.
The county adopted regulations for waterways in 2007, but later discovered a procedural error that rendered the rules void and unenforceable.
