Residents press Bonner County for no-wake buoys; advisory committee asks director to review denials

Residents from several Pend Oreille River inlets told the Bonner County Waterways Advisory Committee on Wednesday that repeated high-speed boat traffic is creating unsafe conditions and accelerating shoreline erosion, and asked the county to install no-wake buoys where previous permit requests were denied.

The appeals focused on three clusters of requests: two inlets accessed from FEMA Drive (referred to in testimony as “Famous Shores” and an upper inlet), a narrow inlet known locally as Coqualala Creek, and a high-traffic bend around Gypsy Bay and the railroad trestle near Dover. Committee members heard minutes of complaints, photographic and video examples, and personal testimony that boaters are frequently operating at speeds that produce damaging wakes.

Why it matters: Petitioners said the wakes threaten swimmers, paddleboarders and riprap-protected shorelines and that visible buoys would make existing no-wake rules easier to obey and enforce. The marine lieutenant and committee members said buoys also affect traffic flow and maintenance workload, so the county must apply consistent criteria when deciding where to place markers.

Residents recounted repeated incidents. Roberta Bagley, who said she lives on FEMA Drive, told the committee, “They do not adhere to a no wake zone at all,” and said shoreline loss and safety concerns have increased as more full-time residents and…