Valley County commissioners have set a public hearing for Tuesday in McCall on a proposed Payette Lake ordinance that would alter how recreational users use the lake.
The public hearing will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the McCall Golf Course Clubhouse.
The proposed ordinance, drafted by the Payette Lake Protective League, covers safety, water quality and the quality of the lake experience, a press release from group said.
The meeting will begin with a reading of the proposed ordinance by Cutler Umbach of the league.
Umbach said only two major changes have been made to the proposed ordinance since a workshop was held with the county commissioners in April.
At the workshop, commissioners and members of the Valley County Waterways Committee questioned some of the rules in the proposed ordinance.
Revisions include:
• A delay in the date to ban two stroke engines from 2009 to 2010.
• The removal of proposed 400-foot no-wake zones from the Narrows and around islands in the 5,500-acre lake.
The proposed "no wake" zone would be in place from the shore in all other parts of the lake.
The city of McCall currently has a no-wake zone 300 feet from shore in the parts of the lake's west arm that is within the city limits.
Outline of proposal
Some of the proposed provisions that remain in the proposed ordinance include:
• A nighttime maximum speed for boats of 20 mph.
• A daytime max. speed of 40 mph.
A diver protection area of 100 feet.
• Restricted water-skiing area that starts from the shore, water or dock in the "no wake" safe zone except off Ponderosa State Park's North Beach Unit.
• All two-stroke engines would be banned on the lake by 2010 with the exception of two-stroke engines with direct fuel injection of 15horsepoweror less or two-strokes made before 1965.
• Boat sizes would be restricted to no boats larger than 35 feet long and 12 feet wide.
• Swimmers outside the "no wake" zone should be accompanied by a marker or a boat.
• Age limitations for operation of a motorized watercraft on the lake. Adults must be with anyone under 12 years old. Children under 16 could not operate boats with motors larger than 15 hp without an adult supervising.
• Noise restrictions on over-the transom exhaust systems.
• No motor-driven watercraft on the North Fork of the Payette River from Payette Lake to Upper Payette Lake.
• Personal watercraft could not operate on the lake between sunset and sunrise.
Members of the public will be allowed three minutes to make their comments. Individuals representing groups will be allotted five minutes to make comments.
Written comments will be accepted, as well, commission Chair Jerry Winkle said.
Written comments can be turned in at the meeting or mailed to Archie Banbury, Valley County Clerk, P.O. Box 1350, Cascade, ID 83611.
No date has been set for a formal vote on the ordinance by the commissioners.
The proposed ordinance can be read at the Payette Lake Protective League's Web site at www payetteleague.org.
