Spring is here! Hayden Lake’s water level is rising. And residents are beginning to clean up derelict (and not-so-derelict) docks, logs, blue barrels, and other debris that has drifted onto their shorelines. Such hazards to safe navigation are also floating freely throughout the lake. If not propelled by the wind onto unsuspecting shorelines, the Sheriff’s deputy will tow large, floating debris to the nearest safe place, then ground and moor it. As a result, derelict docks and large debris may be marooned on private landowners’ lakefronts.
The annual spring Debris Removal Program
Each year, the Hayden Lake Watershed Improvement District sponsors the spring Debris Removal Program by securing permission to collect registered debris at the back of Mokins Bay. They ensure that it is removed and disposed of by a district-sponsored contractor before the summer recreation season begins.
Spring cleaning starts now!
As a good neighbor, you may take advantage of the spring Debris Removal Program to free the lake of abandoned, derelict docks and other large floating debris when, or before, it clutters your shoreline. Just register, tag, and tow the debris to the collection site.
If you are repairing or replacing a dock you own, please don’t use the Improvement District’s program to manage your waste. Instead, have your dock-building contractor responsibly remove and dispose of your old dock.
The District accepts debris for disposal only during May when the water is high. High water is necessary to float debris for transport to the collection site. It is also needed to lift this waste from the lake. For that reason, the District cannot take material after the cutoff date, ensuring sufficient high-water time to remove what has accumulated. This year, the District will accept registered derelict docks and debris date through May 31st.
To participate:
- Register – fill out the form below. The results will be immediately available for download and emailed to you as well.
- Tag – enclose the completed registration form in a plastic bag and staple or nail the bag to the debris.
- Tow the debris to Mokins Bay, past the sandbar at Camp Mivoden.
- Be sure to move it as far back in the bay as possible. Do not abandon debris near the sand-bar.
- Firmly attach the debris to the shore or other tethered material. No loose debris is allowed as it can scatter and find its way back out into the lake.
On or about the first of June, the HLWID will contract to remove the debris from the lake to a disposal area.
May 31 is the deadline for delivering debris for District-sponsored removal while the water is high and debris can be
safely floated off the lake.
Finally, while the Improvement District has sponsored derelict dock removal for several years, this is the fifth year of the registration process. We want to help with spring cleaning on the lake, and at the same time, encourage everyone to do their part. If you come up with some great ideas for further improving this process, let us know.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call our Lake Manager:
Todd Walker
(208)771-0525
