An overturned wake boat became stuck near Legacy Park last weekend after a botched towing operation caused it to capsize in Payette Lake.
The 22-foot wake boat was being towed by another boat on Saturday after running out of gas when it began taking on water, Valley County Sheriff Kevin Copperi said.
“I am unsure if they were towing too fast or what the situation was but it obviously took on water while under tow and capsized,” Copperi said.
Marine deputies who patrol Payette Lake on weekends during the summer then took over towing the overturned boat until it became stuck in the lakebed off Legacy Beach. It was removed from the water on Sunday morning by Inland Marine.
McCall testing for potential fuel spill
The overturned boat was stuck near the city’s drinking water intake pipe that feeds a pump station in Legacy Park, raising concerns that residual fuel or motor oils could contaminate the city’s drinking water system.
McCall Community Engagement & Public Affairs Director Erin Greaves told Valley Lookout on Tuesday that a spill has not been confirmed, but that water testing is being completed as a precautionary measure.
“Regardless of the size of the incident or the size of the vessel, the city will always take proactive steps to protect its water supply,” Greaves said. “Even when a vessel has run out of fuel, residual fuel and oils can remain in the engine and other systems, creating a potential risk to water quality.”
The Water Department was notified about the incident by a city staffer who witnessed the boat being pulled toward Legacy Beach shortly after 6 p.m. The city immediately turned off its Legacy Beach water intake station and started feeding lake water to homes and businesses in McCall from a backup intake station at Davis Beach.
No contaminants had been detected in filters at the city’s drinking water treatment plant as of Tuesday, Greaves said, adding that the Legacy intake station has since been flushed and turned back on.
A sensor at the Legacy station would automatically shut the system down if it detects pollutants from fuels or motor oils, which are toxic to humans and aquatic life.
VCSO: Report incomplete, but no citations expected
It is unclear if anyone was aboard the boat when it capsized, but Copperi said nobody was injured in the accident.
Further details, including the identities of the boat operators, were not available because a full report on the incident has not yet been completed.
“I do not have a ton of information as it just happened this weekend,” Copperi said. “The marine deputies are part-time guys and they went off shift Sunday evening.”
The incident did not result in any citations because improper towing is not a code violation, he said.
DEQ opens investigation
The city reported the incident to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, which is investigating the potential spill, according to Troy Smith, administrator for DEQ’s Boise office.
City employees deployed emergency containment lines around the beached boat within hours of the accident, as well as an absorbent mat to soak up any spilled fuel or oil.
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Three rounds of water samples were then collected by the city for lab testing. Smith expects results on those tests within a week.
Fast response product of previous spills
Saturday’s incident marked the first time the city has deployed the emergency floating containment lines since it purchased them after a suspected diesel spill sheened over Payette Lake near downtown McCall in May 2023.
That spill did not contaminate the city’s drinking water system, but led the city to buy its own spill containment equipment to improve response times.
“We typically rely on Hazmat and/or Fire to place booms, but our team felt an immediate response was important to help prevent any contaminants from entering the system,” Greaves said of Saturday’s potential spill.
Earlier this year, an off-road vehicle sank in Payette Lake near the city’s Legacy Park intake station after breaking through thin ice on Jan. 25, as Valley Lookout reported.
The vehicle was estimated to have about seven to eight gallons of fuel in its tank when it sank, raising fears of potential contamination to the city’s drinking water system.
Efforts to remove the vehicle this spring were abandoned after underwater drones, divers, and sonar surveys could not find any trace of it on the bottom. No contaminants from the vehicle have been found in filters at the water treatment plant.
