Resident urges McCall council to limit wake boats, revisit Mile High Marina lease over milfoil concerns

David Gallipoli, a resident of Farm to Market Road, told the McCall City Council during public comment that Payette Lake is threatened by a “bathtub-sized ring of milfoil” and urged the council to limit power boats and ban wake boats for the 2026 season.

Gallipoli said state plans to treat milfoil with herbicide are insufficient unless they also address the spread caused by power boats and wake-boat wakes. He cited examples from other states, including Lake Waramaug, Conn., and Lake Tahoe, where stricter limits on wake activity or large no-wake zones are in place.

The council took no action on Gallipoli’s request during the meeting. Gallipoli asked the council to review its approval of the Mile High Marina expansion and marina lease and to consider new ordinances recognizing the lake’s right to exist and be free from pollution. He also urged the council to limit runoff from development, fertilizers and pesticides.

Gallipoli framed his request as a call for more aggressive local measures than those he said county commissioners have taken, and he asked the city to reconsider the marina lease “given the severity of the milfoil problem.” The council did not discuss or vote on changes to the marina lease at the meeting.

The remarks came during the meeting’s general public comment period; no staff report or formal agenda item about Payette Lake treatment, wake zones or the Mile High Marina lease was listed or acted on during the session. Council members did not announce any immediate follow-up steps on the record.

Gallipoli’s full remarks are on the public record; he also referenced outside examples of local lake protections and changes in other states to illustrate approaches the council could consider.