Lake Life July 2014

Presorted Standard | US Postage Paid Newport, WA | Permit No. 18 | ECRWWS

Celebrating Life at Diamond Lake and Sacheen Lake Volume 3, Issue 4

Diamond Lake 4th Pictures See Pages 12-13

Produced by The Miner Newspapers

Meet your Sheriff Marine Patrol See Page 3

July 2014

Sacheen Sewer Project Underway See Page 5

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Published: July 2014 Publisher: Fred Willenbrock Writers & editors: Michelle Nedved, Don Gronning and Desireé Hood Design: Charisse Neufeldt, Pandi Gruver and Michelle Nedved Advertising: Susan Willenbrock, Lindsay Guscott and Cindy Boober LAKE LIFE is published monthly in April, May, June, July and August by The Newport Miner and Gem State Miner, 421 S. Spokane, Newport WA 99156.

TELEPHONE: 509-447-2433 E-MAIL: minernews@povn.com, mineradvertising@povn.com FAX: 509-447-9222 Reproduction of articles & photographs is prohibited without permission of the publisher.

See all issues at: The Miner Online: www.pendoreillerivervalley. com.

If you want to receive Lake Life in your mail contact The Miner at 509-447-2433.

My neighbor at Diamond Lake said he was going to spend the rest of the hot summer days up to his neck in the cool water. Not a bad idea for most people. Others have been busy with water sports, celebrations and community projects. This second to the last issue of Lake Life highlights all these endeavors. Our cover photo was taken by Cliff Snow at Diamond Lake.

Fred Willenbrock Publisher

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2 Lake Life | July 2014

Education the name of marine deputies’ game Eight from sheriff’s office inspect boats and enforce laws

BY DESIREÉ HOOD OF THE MINER

D

IAMOND LAKE – About 56 lakes dot the landscape in Pend Oreille County, some open to the public and others not.

The five Pend Oreille County marine deputies, two marine technicians and a marine supervisor patrol seven of them and the scenic Pend Oreille River, from the state line up to the Canadian border, keeping boaters safe by checking for needed equipment and educating boaters on the rules of the water. They also enforce the law on the water.

Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Captain Geoff Rusho and deputy Jerry Dobson are two of the marine deputies in the county and said they could do over 500 vessel inspections in a year to verify the boats have all the needed safety equipment.

They work in teams, with at least two people on board the “Sheriff 6,” one of the two boats used for marine patrol.

Questin Youk is the supervisor for the Marine Patrol unit.

There are two types of marine patrol, a marine deputy and a marine technician. The county currently has marine deputies Eric Schutte, Bill Zamora, Matt McKay, Dobson and Rusho.

City Administrator Ray King and county employee Larry Mason are marine technicians.

Pend Oreille County Sheriff Alan Botzheim said the marine patrol is a great opportunity for the sheriff’s office to interact with the public.

“It’s different than traffic,” Botzheim said. “People are out

there having fun.”

Rusho said both deputies and technicians are able to write boating inspections, operate the boats and have been to the Washington State Park and Recreation Marine Academy.

A marine deputy can make arrests on marine violations, as they a sworn deputy and

‘If you are out on a boat without a life jacket, you can pretty much expect a citation.’

Geoff Rusho

Captain, Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office

holding a Law Enforcement Certificate in the State of Washington. Rusho said at least one deputy goes on every patrol.

SEE DEPUTIES, 4

MINER PHOTO|DESIREÉ HOOD

Deputy Jerry Dobson inspects Diamond Lake Improvement Association President Rich Clubine’s ski boat for the needed equipment. The items inspected included a life jacket, navigation lights, a fire extinguisher, a ventilation system such as a blower, and sound-producing devices such as a horn or whistle.

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DEPUTIES FROM PAGE 3

The two deputies were armed.

Rusho has been with the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Department for five years, transferring from the Bonner County Marine Division, where he started in 1991. Dobson has been with the department for five years and was recently hired to be the School Resource Officer for the Newport School District.

Dobson said a vessel is a kayak, canoe, paddleboard,

MINER PHOTO|DESIREÉ HOOD

Deputy Jerry Dobson, left, inspects the small boat, captained by Diamond Lake Improvement Association President Rich Clubine, left in boat, and DLIA board member Dan Holman. Clubine volunteered to have all of his boats inspected as well as his neighbor’s boat, to ensure they were following all safety guidelines.

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peddle boat and anything that can be propelled forward via a paddle or motor. Tubes, surfboards and anything without a motor that is not propelled, is not considered a vessel.

Every vessel is required to have life jackets and sound producing devices, such as a whistle. Dobson said that people don’t think that a paddleboard is a vessel so they often don’t have the required equipment.

“They just don’t know it’s required,” Dobson said.

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an inspection include a life jacket, navigation lights, a fire extinguisher, a ventilation system such as a blower, and sound-producing devices such as a horn or whistle.

On boats with a 15 horsepower or above motor, all operators need to have a boater’s education card. On boats with less than a 15 horsepower motor, such as canoes and kayaks, a life jacket and whistle are the only requirements.

Rusho said they have a zero-tolerance policy on life jackets. A citation of $87 will SEE DEPUTIES, 20

Boat speed limits vary by water DIAMOND LAKE – Pend Oreille County has dozens of lakes and the northflowing Pend Oreille River that many residents and tourists enjoy by boating, floating and fishing.

Knowing the speed limits on the different waters can help keep all water enthusiasts safe while enjoying the scenic beauty the area offers.

The Pend Oreille County boating speed limit ordinance states: The Pend Oreille River has a boat speed limit of 55 miles per hour (mph).

When the Cusick gauging station meets or exceeds 2,041 feet above sea level, there is a no wake speed limit on the river, meaning boats have travel slow enough to not make a wake.

Any lake over 200 water acres in Pend Oreille County, such as Diamond Lake with more than 800 water acres, has a speed limit of 45 mph, unless posted otherwise.

SEE LIMITS, 20

Sacheen sewer work underway Will work through summer, scheduled to complete next year

BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER

S

ACHEEN LAKE – After decades of trying to establish a sewer system at Sacheen Lake, work has finally begun.

The first thing was to start clearing trees around the treatment site, located about a mile north of the lake.

According to Kevin Koesel, consulting engineer for Sewell Engineering, that will continue until about the end of July.

Crews are clearing trees with an excavator and will then chip them up.

After the land is cleared, crews wills start building the lagoon system, three 15-foot deep lagoons. All the lagoon cells will be double lined with high-density polyethylene liners to prevent leaking. Two of the cells will be able to hold 5.3 million gallons each. The third lagoon will hold 13.2 million gallons and will be a storage lagoon.

Once lagoons are in, crews will also start working on the 800 square foot headworks building that will sit on top of the lagoon.

In mid July, crews were scheduled to begin work on 8 miles of collector lines that will go around the lake. The collector lines, which will be varying sizes, will run down the highways and roads around Sacheen Lake.

“They’ll work on that until snow flies,” Koesel says. He says the work will start at Rocky Gorge Road and conSEE SACHEEN, 6

COURTESY PHOTO|JERRY JOHNSON

Shelia Pearman, secretary of the Sacheen Lake Sewer and Water District, reads some of the history of the project before ground breaking for the long awaited project.

July 2014 | Lake Life 5

SACHEEN FROM PAGE 5

This was part of the crowd that turned out for the ground breaking ceremony that was held June 20 at Meyers/Harter Park on Fertile Valley Road.

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tinue south toward the lake.

People will notice the workers during the week, Koesel said.

“They will start about 7 a.m. and work 10 hours,” he said. Crews won’t work on the weekends unless something critical comes up and some crews won’t work Fridays, Koesel said. As with all the underground work, crews expect to encounter hard rock.

Contractors will start receiving pump stations next week for the individual homes.

“They’ll dig a place for each pumping station,” Koesel said.

“There will be one station per house.”

The pumping stations are about 30 inches in diameter and about 6½ feet tall, but will be installed underground, with only the top showing. They will operate using an electric pump with an electric controller on each home.

Since each home likely has a septic system, the old septic tanks will be pumped and filled with gravel.

The pumps are grinder pumps, which will grind up everything before it goes into the 1 ¼ inch line that will carry sludge from the pumping station to the collector lines.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2015.

District commissioners have said that Sacheen Lake residents won’t have to pay until the system is up and going.

Then the rate will be about $130 a month and undeveloped lots will pay a lesser amount.

The sewer project has been controversial. The district survived an attempt to disincoparate the district. They scaled back the size of the LID after losing a Pend Oreille SEE SACHEEN, 22

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Diamond Lake half marathon volunteer coordinator Jeff Bell gets the runners ready, above, on July 4. To the right, the swimmers in the 1-mile leg of the race stop for a pre-race picture. Bell told them all to just have fun.

Discover Pass required at all state-managed recreation sites OLYMPIA – The Discover Pass is required on vehicles when visiting state recreation lands managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Washington state is home to more than 7 million acres of state-managed recreation lands, including campgrounds, parks, wildlife areas, trails, natural areas, SEE DISCOVER, 11

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July 2014 | Lake Life 7

Weather Babble Thursday, August 7th The Head and the Heart with Matty and Mikey

Friday, August 8th Huey Lewis & the News with Miah Kohal Band

Microclimates Galore

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ACHEEN LAKEIf you have any interest whatsoever in what the weather is doing in your back yard, then you have no doubt noticed that at times, the weather conditions just down Lutz the road might be quite a bit different from what you are experiencing.

No, this is not due to farmer John’s methane-producing cows, but it is more likely that you’re experiencing one of our numerous microclimates.

When I started doing weather on KGA radio in Spokane back in the early 90’s, I was one of the first climatologists to talk about microclimates. Now, you seem to hear that term used quite often, and for good reason.... Like yellow jackets (no, I have not yet completed my bee therapy) they are a part of life here in the Pacific Northwest.

So what are they, and why do we have so many of them here in Pend Oreille county? I’m so glad you asked!! Well, there are a variety of factors that cause the climate to fluctuate from place to place. The biggest factor is of course the mountainous terrain that is common in our region. As storms move in off the Pacific, they encounter these huge upslope areas which results in quite a bit of wind turbulence.

This literally creates havoc in our weather patterns, sort of like when a porcupine decides to use your dogs face for target practice... Been there, done that!

SEE WEATHER, 9

WEATHER FROM PAGE 8

One local example of a local microclimate pattern is how a majority of daytime thunderstorms move through south Pend Oreille county. If you have noticed that some areas seem to get way more thunderstorms than others, then you are very observant! Typically, as a line of thunderstorms move up into Pend Oreille county, it seems to split into two pieces. One part of the system will move right up the Hwy 2 corridor and pound on Diamond lake and Newport, while Sacheen and Davis Lakes barely get a sprinkle, which by the way makes me mad because I like thunderstorms! The other half of the storm complex typically moves up near Usk and Cusick. This again is caused by the mountainous terrain in the southwest part of the county where most of the storms make entry into our area. Now on the flip side, any thunderstorm activity that occurs during the overnight hours follow an even different pattern which typically brings them right over the Sacheen Lake area. This change is due to the absence of the daytime heating and thermals off the mountains, which causes the storm motion to react totally different. This too makes me mad because it disrupts my beauty sleep!

All this aside, the microclimate that you’re likely to notice the most are temperatures.

For what it’s worth, trying to pinpoint accurate high and low temperatures for all areas is like throwing a horseshoe at a badger... It WILL come back to bite you in the you-know-where.

Take our neighborhood for example. Our home is located in somewhat of a bowl which causes our property to heat up faster in the morning while the rest of our neighbors enjoy slightly cooler, breezier days in the summer months. During this recent heat wave, that made those neighbors our new best friends! But alas, we get to make up for all that daytime heat dur-

ing the evening hours as the cold air drainage from the mountains behind us dips into our “bowl” later in the evening. This is because cold air is dense and heavy (like me) thus it sinks to the lowest points first. As such, the cold air reaches our back deck just after sunset. Temperatures sometimes vary up to 10 degrees from our nearest neighbor just down the road. That same cold air pattern off the mountains is what also causes a bit of a snow belt in our neighborhood during the winter months.

Even in your own back yard, you’ll find mini microclimates...

It’s typically cooler over the

grassy surfaces than it is over the pavement as the hard surfaces absorb the sun more efficiently.

Now multiply this varying terrain by just a few square miles, and you can plainly see why the weather can vary so much from location to location. Measuring all this data can be quite cumbersome for a National Weather Service Co-Op Observer such as myself. I have two electronic weather stations, (one is an old, but very reliable Heath kit) and a bunch of manual instruments as a back-up in case of power failures. For the casual weather guru however, you don’t need all of this fancy stuff. There are

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many simple, and inexpensive weather stations out there that will give you accurate measurements of the elements. I personally like the Ultimeter 2100 made by Peet Bros. La Crosse, Davis Instruments, and Oregon Scientific also put out some nice weather stations, both wired and wireless. These inexpensive stations are surprisingly accurate, but that is all dependent on proper installation, especially when it comes to the location of the temperatures sensors. By the way, if you decide to install a wireless station, (or already have one) be sure to equip the outdoor sensors with Lithium batteries

D S

during the winter months as they will not freeze-up like the Alkaline batteries do. Follow the directions on each installation carefully and you too can enjoy seeing what mother nature is doing in your corner of the world.

Coming up in our next issue of Weather Babble, I’ll give you my best guess as to what the fall and winter months might have in store for us after we get through our brutally hot summer. In the meantime, don’t forget that you can always see my updated local weather summaries by going to climatehawk. org and clicking on “Forecasts & More”

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Calender of Events

COOL SUMMER DRESSES COLORFUL, COMFY DRESSES BY:

WEDNESDAY, JULY 16 DIAMOND LAKE WATER AND SEWER DISTRICT BOARD: 10 a.m. District Office

THURSDAY, JULY 17 SOUTH PEND OREILLE FIRE & RESCUE: 7 p.m. - Station 31, 325272 Highway 2, Diamond Lake

MONDAY, JULY 21 DIAMOND LAKE BOOK CLUB: 1 p.m. - Contact Val Urbat 509-2200200

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23 SACHEEN LADIES OF THE LAKE: Noon - Various Locations, call President Maria Bullock at 509-998-4221

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6 DIAMOND LAKE WATER AND SEWER: 10 a.m. - District Office, 172 South Shore Road DIAMOND LAKE IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION: 6:30 p.m. - Diamond Lake Fire Station, Highway 2 SACHEEN LAKE SEWER AND WATER DISTRICT BOARD: 7 p.m. Sacheen Fire Station, Highway 211

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13 HOME AND COMMUNITY EDUCATORS DIAMOND LAKE CLUB: Noon - Call Billie Goodno at 509-447-3781 or Chris King at 208-437-0971

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DIAMOND LAKE – Summer time means boating on the area lakes and rivers and two free boating education classes will be offered Saturday and Sunday, July 19-20 at the Diamond Lake Fire District.

Each day will be one complete class.

Registration for the free class will take place at 8:30 a.m., with the class starting at 9 a.m. People are asked to bring a sack lunch.

To register, call Charlie Schaefer at 509-447-2279.

Schaefer is a certified boating safety instructor for Washington and Idaho, and is offering the class for those that still need to get the training for their Washington state required boater safety cards.

SEE BOATING, 11

DISCOVER FROM PAGE 7

wilderness areas and water access points. The Discover Pass is required at all these locations, even when launching a boat.

WDFW manages more than 20 public access areas located throughout the tri-county area of Pend Oreille, Stevens and Ferry counties.

With summer fishing and boating season here, enforcement is expecting an increase in use.

A vehicle access permit or the Discover Pass needs to be clearly displayed in each vehicle, and can be purchased at local retailers selling hunting and fishing licenses.

Each hunting and fishing license comes with one vehicle access permit.

The cost is $30 for the annual Discover Pass or $10 for a day pass. Transaction and dealer fees may apply. The fine for not displaying a pass is $99.

For more information, visit wdfw.wa.gov or discoverpass. wa.gov.

BOATING FROM PAGE 10

Anyone born after Jan. 1, 1955, who would be 59 or younger this year, are required to take the course.

You must be 14 years or older to operate a boat in Washington.

The class is also available online at www.parks.wa.gov, or you can request to take an equivalency exam instead of the course.

A boat operator from another state is not required to take the course for the first 60 consecutive days of their visit.

July 2014 | Lake Life 11

Diamond Lake 4th of July:

12 Lake Life | July 2014

parade, sun, smiles, fireworks

July 2014 | Lake Life 13

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BY DESIREÉ HOOD OF THE MINER

D

IAMOND LAKE – Diamond and Sacheen Lakes will see continued milfoil eradication work through the month of August. Locating the noxious weed and spraying the worst areas will be done at Diamond Lake starting Monday, Aug. 18.

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Weed spraying starts soon

Diamond Lake Improvement Association and the Pend Oreille Conservation District partnered to receive a $15,000 grant from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Richard Clubine, president of the DLIA, said this is the first time that DNR has given

‘They will be doing a survey of the lake and marking bad spots on their GPS map before spraying the invasive species.’ a grant for milfoil and other noxious weed removal, so they will monitor the project with before and after documentation.

The grant will pay for Lakeland Restoration, the only bidder for the project, to do a survey of the lake shore and bottom and mark bad spots on a GPS map before spraying the invasive species. The costs to map and spray SEE MILFOIL, 15

MILFOIL FROM PAGE 14

are estimated at about $13,768. “(This is) to find out where the infestations are,” said Terry Holloway, District Administrator at POCD. They will be spraying the chemicals Aquaneat, Polaris, Agridex and DMA 4 IVM to rid the area of invasive species including Yellow flag iris, Reed canary grass, Fragrant water lily and any other known species they may find.

“If they find something else in their survey, I’m sure they will take care of those as well,” POCD watershed coordinator Adam Huddleston said.

The areas being sprayed include the area around Camp Cowles Boy Scout Camp and various areas around the shoreline of the lake, Huddleston said.

He said the areas would include the emergent plants on the shoreline.

“There are various locations around the entire perimeter of the lake,” Huddleston said.

Holloway said Lakeland should be sending an opt-out letter to Diamond Lake residents because many people like yellow flag iris for their “pretty” yellow flower. If residents want to keep the yellow flag iris, they need to sign the opt-out letter.

“They will avoid spraying the area,” Holloway said.

Holloway said the iris plant grows in clumps and when it floats away and lands somewhere, they spread. She said it causes big problems in creeks and rivers because it clogs up tributary areas.

Lakeland will also be posting signs around the lake no more than 48 hours before the spraying begins, including at 10 feet on each side of the spraying area and at least one sign along the shoreline every 100 feet. The may send letters or talk with area residents before spraying.

The signs will include the restrictions and herbicide information.

SEE MILFOIL, 24

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IAMOND LAKE – The animals running amok near Diamond Lake found their way home during the month of June.

Three calls were made in June, down from 11 in May regarding animal problems.

“That’s pretty significant,” said Pend Oreille County Sheriff Alan Botzheim.

Two incidents involved horses on the loose. Two horses were hanging out on someone else’s property and another call was for horses being found near somebody’s barn.

The horses were returned to their owners safely. The third report was of a dog being on the loose.

‘It’s really weird.’

Alan Botzheim

Pend Oreille County Sheriff

Malicious mischief was on the rise with three calls in June to one call in May. In a suspected domestic dispute, a resident put caulk around the door and locks of their house, possibly attempting to keep the other person inside. Botzheim said it was possibly relationship issues and he is unsure why the person used the caulk.

“It’s really weird,” Botzheim said.

Four mailboxes were tampered with and someone reported that rocks had been moved near their shop door.

306 S. Washington Ave. • (509) 447-5913 16 Lake Life | July 2014

SEE CALLS, 17

CALLS FROM PAGE 16

No one broke into the shop, but the resident reported that they had been moved overnight.

Burglaries at the lake declined from five reports in May to two in June. One report was from deputies noticing a suspicious van at an abandoned residence on Coyote Trail. The deputies and Sheriff knew the house was abandoned and looked through a window and saw tools on the floor.

They investigated and found the suspect inside wearing rubber gloves on both hands.

“They were hiding in some clothing,” Botzheim said.

The suspect told deputies that she was given permission to be there and Botzheim said, “of course she didn’t.” Jewelry was found on the suspect and later identified as being the owner’s jewelry.

The suspect was charged with residential burglary.

Botzheim said it is very rare to run across a burglary in progress and catch the perpetrators.

An unregistered motorcycle and a baseball card collection were stolen from a resident near Diamond Lake. The resident told deputies he did not know whom the motorcycle was registered to.

Five theft calls came in for the month of June with four calls in May. A resident reported that wood was missing from his outside woodpile at their summer cabin. Gas was siphoned from a vehicle and packages were taken from a mailbox. Botzheim said that the old mailboxes without locks are not secure.

“They are not secure in any way shape or form,” Botzheim said. “Try to get a locking one.”

COURTESY PHOTO|JULIE HALL

A marriage on the lake

Dawn and James Guscott were married Saturday, July 5, at the home of James’ father and mother, Lindsay and Jeanne Guscott, on Bayview Boulevard on Diamond Lake. About 45 guests attended the ceremony. The bride and her escort, her nephew Zachary, arrived by barge, courtesy of Val and Norm Urbat. The couple resides in Des Moines, Wash., south of Seattle.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The police reports, taken from dispatch logs provided to The Miner by the Pend Oreille County Sheriff, are not intended to be an exact report but rather a list of police calls in the Sacheen and Diamond Lake areas.

TUESDAY, JUNE 17 UNKNOWN PROBLEM: Southshore Diamond Lake, report that vehicle pulled into driveway with a male slumped over the steering wheel.

NOISE COMPLAINT: Southshore Diamond Lake, report that neighbor’s roof makes loud noise when wind blows

SATURDAY, JUNE 21 ASSAULT: Diamond Lake, report of assault on a boat.

SUNDAY, JUNE 22 FIRE: Southshore Diamond, report of two gas tanks underneath wave runners on fire.

TUESDAY, JUNE 24 ARREST: Southshore Diamond Lake, Erin P. Driscoll, 40, of Spokane was arrested for fourth degree assault.

THURSDAY, JUNE 26 SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES: Diamond Lake, complainant states he was assaulted two nights ago at the boat launch.

FRIDAY, JUNE 27 BOATING OFFENSE: Diamond Lake

SATURDAY, JUNE 28 ILLEGAL BURNING: Terrace Ave., Diamond Lake. complainant believes neighbor is burning garbage.

SUNDAY, JUNE 29 VIOLATION OF PROTECTION ORDER: Southshore Diamond Lake

THURSDAY, JULY 3 THREATENING: Southshore Diamond Lake, report of threats made.

FRIDAY, JULY 4 BOATING OFFENSE: Diamond Lake

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BOATING OFFENSE: Diamond Lake ACCIDENT: Hwy. 2, report of two-vehicle accident, three people trapped in the vehicle with injuries need extrication

SATURDAY, JULY 5 MALICIOUS MISCHIEF: Northshore Diamond Lake MULTIPLE BOAT INSPECTIONS: Diamond Lake

SEE POLICE, 19

Fire restrictions increased in eastern Washington

BY DESIREÉ HOOD OF THE MINER

N

EWPORT – Washington state agencies are getting a head start on fire season by increasing burning restrictions almost a month early.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are restricting burning and other activities on eastern Washington lands to reduce the risk of another costly fire season, according to press releases.

On Thursday, July 3, the WDFW issued an emergency order imposing additional restrictions on WDFWmanaged lands in eastern Washington. The new rule prohibits fires or campfires, including those in fire

Lake Police Reports

rings, although personal camp stoves and lanterns fueled by propane, liquid petroleum or liquid petroleum gas are allowed. The rule also prohibits smoking, except in an enclosed ve-

‘One little spark and you have the whole garage burning.’

Les Kokanos

COURTESY PHOTO|BOB LUTZ

hicle, welding and the use of chainsaws and operating a motor vehicle away from developed roads.

Fireworks are prohibited

Odd weather in Pend Oreille

This thunderstorm formation recently seemed to have a little rotation in the wall cloud as it slid into the Pend Oreille Valley. The stacked clouds in the foreground almost appeared to be moving toward the ground, but did not seem to be rotating, according to local climatologist Bob Lutz. “In any event, we don’t often see these awesome cloud formations up here near the mountains on the backside of Boyer,” he said.

SEE FIRE, 22

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FROM PAGE 18 MULTIPLE BOAT INSPECTIONS: Sacheen Lake ILLEGAL BURNING: Northshore Diamond Lake

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be given if the proper number is not on-board. Rusho said they also write citations for failing to register the boat and not having a boater’s education card, however, life jackets are the most common ticket.

“If you are out on a boat without a life jacket, you can pretty much expect a citation,” Rusho said.

Inspections vary depending on the type of vessel the boaters are using. Once an inspection has been done and the boater passes, the deputies will give

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FROM PAGE 4

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Sacheen Lake has about 317 water acres, but the speed limit is 35 mph, unless posted otherwise.

All lakes with 200 water acres or less, such as Davis Lake at 152 water acres, is a no wake speed limit.

The law states that certain conditions, posted speed limits may not be safe or practical and may be considered unsafe or negligent.

When a vessel is within 100 feet of any dock, ski dock, pier, stationary vessel, trolling vessel, shoreline, swimmer, float, piling or scuba dive flag, a vessel should not exceed “wake speed” of about 15 mph.

Between one-half hour after sunset and one-half hour prior to sunrise, all vessels should not exceed 15 mph.

When operating any vessel in the dark, fog, mist, falling snow or a heavy rainstorm, a moderate speed with careful regard to the circumstances and conditions, should be able to stop on half the distance the operator can see.

DEPUTIES FROM PAGE 20

the captain of the vessel a sticker. This tells deputies doing inspections at a later time, that the boater had been through and passed an inspection. It is not a get-out-of-jail-free card, but it is a “fast pass,” Rusho said.

“The main thing is promoting education,” Rusho said.

The marine deputies patrol during special events, such as poker paddles and float downs, and cover Fourth of July fireworks on Diamond Lake. They also patrol on sunny days.

Depending on the weather, they will spend all-day on the lakes. They try to split days with Diamond and Sacheen Lakes if possible. They also stop by different educational classes on boating, such as the boater’s education class, to answer any questions that boaters may have.

Botzheim said they not only patrol during special events but will throw water to people floating the river and help out in general.

“They do a good job of working with the public,” Botzheim said.

Emergency response is another part of the marine deputies jobs. A couple years ago, a boat capsized and the captain could not get out from under the boat.

“We just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” Rusho said.

They have rescued people floating the river without life jackets, had medical calls including a broken femur on a water skier and a stroke on another water enthusiast, and have even had fatality recoveries.

The Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Department has two marine patrol boats, equipped with sonar to see the bottom of the lake and lights and sirens if needed.

The boats are equipped with sonar to see the bottom of the

lakes and river and Dobson said they helped during Down River Days in Ione one year to locate snowmobiles that went down before the rider had a chance to pull the buoy.

Dobson said they recovered two more snowmobiles than were reported lost.

Rusho said they don’t carry radar detectors to check for speeders, (see sidebar on speed limits on county water).

“We don’t normally carry radar speed detectors on the marine units, however, most speed related violations occur in combination with negligent operation of a vessel,” Rusho said.

The boats are designed to quickly and safely respond in emergency situations, Rusho

‘As far as law enforcement goes, it’s really the best job we have.’

Jerry Dobson

Pend Oreille County marine deputy

said. Botzheim said the smaller boat can reach speeds up to 50 mph and the “Sheriff 6” can travel somewhere in the 50 mph range, depending on if they are headed upstream or

down.

“The boat speeds vary on how fast they are, however, both boats are very maneuverable and can quickly accelerate to meet our needs,” Rusho said.

“I would have to say they can meet the speeds as posted in the county ordinances.”

Dobson said one of the hardest parts of the job is they can only enforce RCW and WAC codes and Pend Oreille County Ordinances (POD), which often leave gray areas. He said they often get asked about enforcement of areas that are not laws.

“Those all have to be black and white for us,” Dobson said.

Questions from boaters

include negligent boating and how far behind a skier/tuber should the jet-skis be when they jump the wake. Dobson said they look for violators regarding negligent boating.

Rusho said incidents for marine deputies often occur during holiday weekends, especially around the Fourth of July. Intoxication and large groups of people are part of the cause for incidents.

“There’s a lot more chaos at that time,” Rusho said. “Usually it’s a heightened amount of alcohol and the holidays.”

SEE DEPUTIES, 22

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DEPUTIES FROM PAGE 21

Laws for vessels are slightly different than for vehicles, Dobson said. Boat operators are allowed to have open containers in the vessel but cannot be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The laws have changed to include seated “Boating Under the Influence” (BUI) tests. Being under the influence would mean a breath or blood test higher than 0.08 percent or higher.

“Now we have the authority

to take them off the water if they refuse,” Dobson said.

Rusho said he knows that not everyone responds to deputies in positive ways.

“We deal with the same people on the water that we do on the road,” Rusho said, and one inspection left a slightly pale look on the boater’s face to prove his point. The boater did pass his inspection.

Rusho said the main concern is education and they prefer to do the inspections in a positive way. They wear a polo shirt with a life jacket instead of full deputy uniforms and do not approach boats for inspection with lights

and sirens blaring. They slowly approach the boat and politely ask to do an inspection. Most residents volunteered to have all of their vessels inspected to make sure they were following the laws.

“We put a smile on our face and it goes a long ways,” Rusho said. “I love it. You kind of wish it was year round.”

Dobson said he hopes the new School Resource Officer position for the Newport School District will still give him time to go out on the boat during the summer.

“As far as law enforcement goes, it’s really the best job we have,” Dobson said.

SACHEEN FROM PAGE 6

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The LID is smaller than the district itself. If all goes well, nearly 400 lots will be hooked up by the end of 2015. Some 270 of the lots have homes.

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The district received a $5 million state Department of Ecology grant, as well as a $6 million, no-interest loan from Ecology. They also borrowed $1.2 million from the state Public Works Trust Fund.

The Public Works Trust Fund loan is at 1.75 percent if the project is completed in 2015, 2 percent if it goes longer. The district will only pay interest on the amount of the loan they will use.

FIRE FROM PAGE 19

year-round at all 33 WDFW wildlife areas and at about 700 water access sites around the state, said Clay Sprague, manager of the WDFW Lands Division. Throwing a lit cigarette or any other burning material from a motor vehicle on a state highway is also prohibited.

On Wednesday, July 9, at 12:01 a.m., DNR fire codes went into affect. Pend Oreille, Ferry and Stevens counties are now on a “moderate” danger status, up from “low.”

Spokane, Okanogan, northern Lincoln, and Fire Districts 1 and 2 in Stevens County, changed from “moderate” to “high” Wednesday, July 9.

South Pend Oreille Fire Chief Mike Nokes said that recreational fire restrictions usually don’t get placed on Pend Oreille County until the level reaches “high” or “extreme.”

Pend Oreille County ordinances state that that if DNR is allowing campfires in its campgrounds in Pend SEE FIRE, 23

FIRE FROM PAGE 22

Oreille County, then residents can burn recreational fires through the county ordinance, Nokes said.

The county’s burn ordinance is tied to the state DNR policy. When the DNR imposes a burn ban on DNR lands within Pend Oreille County, the ban will also apply to county lands, with the exception

‘Last year, state fire crews – and the state’s firefighting budget – were stretched thin when wildfires burned on public and private land.’

Steve Crown

Chief of the WDFW Law Enforcement Program

provided for properly attended recreational fires.

When the DNR bans fires in its campgrounds, all recreational fires will also be prohibited. If a fire were to escape from the property owner, they are responsible for any and all fire suppression costs.

Steve Crown, chief of the WDFW Law Enforcement Program, said the restrictions are consistent with efforts by DNR and other local, state and federal agencies to minimize the risk of wildfires during the rest of the summer.

“Last year, state fire crews – and the state’s firefighting budget – were stretched thin when wildfires burned on public and private land,” Crown said. “It’s imperative that we take these proactive steps to reduce the risk of fire and the related danger for people, wildlife and property.”

The same fire restriction system is used by the DNR, the U.S. Forest Service, the federal

Bureau of Land Management and the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs.

DNR rules for using chainsaws in the forest, including while cutting firewood, is to have an approved chainsaw with working exhaust, in addition to watching the area for one hour before leaving. A fire extinguisher, containing at least 8 ounces of retardant, must be in the immediate area of where the chainsaw is used and a shovel must be retrievable in two minutes or less.

Sprague said the department is taking steps to reduce fire risk in wildlife areas about a month earlier than last year, when

wildfires burned thousands of acres and destroyed homes and buildings in several areas of central Washington.

Daily updates on burn restrictions are available at 1-800-323BURN or on DNR’s website at www.dnr.wa.gov. Click on ‘fire information and prevention’ and go to ‘wildfire related maps.’ The ‘burn risk map’ link is in the bottom, right-hand corner.

For more information about fires and fire prevention on public lands, visit the DNR website www.dnr.wa.gov or the sites of the U.S. Forest Service at www.fs.usda.gov or the state Incident Information System at www.inciweb.org/state/49/.

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1920’s at Diamond Lake

COURTESY PHOTO|PEND OREILLE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

It must have been fall when this 1920s era photo was taken at Diamond Lake, as the women are wearing coats, including one wearing what appears to be a wool coat. If you have any historic photos you would like to see in Lake Life, or know anything more about this photo, please contact The Newport Miner at 509-447-2433.

P

Diamond Lake level normal

Community yard sale this weekend DIAMOND LAKE – The Diamond Lake Improvement Association is hosting a community yard sale, Saturday, July 19, at 8 a.m.

Residents wishing to sell items are encouraged to set up a table in their yard and DLIA will post signs and is advertising in The Newport Miner and Gem State Miner to alert area residents about the communitywide yard sale.

DLIA may have items they collected setup at the Southshore store parking lot.

DIAMOND LAKE-After rising some in June from the heavy rain, Diamond Lake dropped down quickly to normal levels.

Lake level observers reported that the water is flowing out through the culvert in North shore Road.

Ditch clearing and installation of tubes in the beaver dams apparently have kept the water flowing.

Diamond Lake Improvement Association members haven’t been able to check the outlet areas or do any work keeping them clear this summer because of a court order.

A federal judge issued the order while he reviews the complaints of property owners

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along the outlet and the response of the Diamond Lake Improvement Association.

The earliest a trial date, if necessary, has been set is next June.

The association has also stopped trapping beavers in the area.

MILFOIL FROM PAGE 15

Huddleston said that anyone living within about a quarter-mile of the spraying on the shoreline should receive the letters.

The Diamond Lake Improvement Association also organizes a team of local scuba divers who survey the lake bottom for milfoil. They also hand pull in some areas.

Sacheen Lake will have inwater milfoil work done this summer, also using a diver and barge. The diver will bring a boat and help clear the lake of milfoil, Weed Board Coordinator Sharon Sorby said. Area residents are paying to have the diver come help foil the milfoil.

The barge deploys a diver who loosens the milfoil with their hands. The barge then sucks the milfoil into a holding tank, so the fragments don’t “run astray,” Sorby said. This process rids the area of the plants with minimal spreading. In the past, large groups have hand-pulled the milfoil in shallower waters. The contractor disposes of the plants.

Sorby said one native plant, the watershield, in the Sacheen Lake area has become a nuisance for area residents and the plant will be sprayed to rid the issue. Sorby said she has not been given the dates set for spraying and this is the only spraying happening at Sacheen Lake. It is also in the water.