COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Kootenai County commissioners voted Wednesday to replace some language in the county’s excessive wake ordinance and add a 150-foot “no tow” rule to the Spokane River.
The updated ordinance will remove the definition of “excessive wake” and replace it with language from the Idaho Safe Boating Act, which states that anyone who operates a motorized vessel “without due caution and circumspection, and in a manner as to endanger or be likely to endanger any person or property, shall be guilty of grossly negligent operation.”
The ordinance will also forbid towing on the Spokane River within 150 feet of the shore or any structure.
Commissioners voted 2-1 for the change, with Bruce Mattare casting the dissenting vote. Mattare had favored an additional restriction to ban all towing on the river during certain times of year.
The board noted that the matter is contentious, with hundreds of community members weighing in over the last few years and public opinion largely split.
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