Use a contractor for old-dock removal when replacing. Use the LDRP to clear you property - and the lake - of large debris left by winter weather.
Welcome to spring, that time when we all wake up from winter in a clean-the-house mood! When your "house" includes a yard, shoreline, dock and boat slip, property-wide cleanup will likely result in piles of junk to be thrown away. For this, we rely on members of the lake community to responsibly dispose of their debris through waste management and runs to the landfill. If replacing your dock this spring, enlist your contractor to remove and dispose of your old dock properly. We cannot accept removed/replaced docks or composite decking.
The Lake Debris Removal Program lends a hand with true lake junk!
Sometimes, the hands of winter start scouring the lake before spring. Ice, wind, and rising water will set junk adrift on the lake that is hazardous to navigation. Floating junk also threatens the health and safety of our water. Sometimes, old man winter pushes that junk onto the shore where it’s just as unsightly and hazardous. What can you do with lake debris – broken dock parts, fallen trees, blue barrels, etc. – that isn’t yours and is too big to pull out of the water or toss in the back of the truck? Â
The annual Lake Debris Removal Program is available again in ’25 to help the lake community rid the area of winter’s cast-offs and put a new shine and greater safety on Hayden Lake.
Spring cleaning starts now!
Apply – Fill out the Application Form. Your confirmation will arrive via email, followed shortly by your permit.
Why a permit? As you know, abuse of the program increases the cost of the program. That’s a financial burden we all share through our Improvement District fees, paid at tax time each year. A permit requirement is intended to reduce the level of program abuse.
Tag – download and print your permit. Enclose it in a plastic bag and nail it to the debris.
Towing:
- Before leaving your dock, tie your debris together with old rope that you will leave at the disposal site.
- If you make a big raft of lake junk, use a stouter rope for your tow line. You’ll bring this home with you.
Directions:
Motor to the back of Mokins Bay which is on the east side of the lake between Chicken Point and Lee’s Point.Â
- Head north around the sandbar next to Camp Mivoden.
- Stay to the left of the power pole, the only navigation aid when the water is high. Avoid the shallow lake bottom on your starboard side.
- At ~150 yds past the sandbar, head east, across the bay, toward the right end of the county road on the far side of the bay.Â
- Move as far back into the staging site as possible. Do not abandon debris near the sand-bar.
Tether – no loose debris is allowed as it can scatter and become a hazard or marooned on others’ shores.
- Take along an extra 15′ piece of old rope. Use it to tie your debris to a bush on the righthand shore adjacent to the county road. If other debris is already securely moored there, you may tie to it.
- Ensure your tie-up is secure and will not come loose when tugged or rocked by wind and waves.
Please note, video surveillance, another abuse prevention idea, will be in place.Â
As a good neighbor, you may participate in this program to free the lake of large floating debris and lake junk that clutters your shoreline. First, apply for your permit (click the “Apply” tab under the heading “Spring cleaning starts now!). Then tag, tow, and tether the debris at the collection site.
June 9 is the deadline for delivering debris to the Mokins Bay collection site.
Stage lake junk for removal at the back of Mokins Slough.
Your name and contact information are used only to send you your permit and to contact you if any issues with the program arise. This information will not be printed on your Permit so that you can attach it to your debris without concern for release of personally identifying information.
- Trees, branches, other snags dislodged from the lake bottom or shores by winter weather and high water.
- Old lumber broken from derelict docks, i.e. float logs, beams, planking, etc. that have broken free from old docks.
- Â Derelict docks without known ownership that have been driven into the lake or onto non-owners’ shores by wind and wakes.Â
Please do not dispose of fabric, plastic (other than blue barrels), or metal parts from watercraft, lawn furniture, toys, garden waste, or other small trash at the collection site.Â
Mokins Bay, behind the sandbar, at the back of the slough, on the right/southeast end of the county road where it intersects with Camp Mivoden’s drive.
Do not leave debris on or near the sandbar or untethered in the bay.
Timeline
- The best time to get wind blown junk off your shoreline is a few days after high water. That will probably be in mid May. If you wait too long, some of the heavy logs will get stranded on your shoreline and you’ll have to wait until next year.
- The best time to leave your waste at the staging site is the last weekend in May or first weekend in June.
Towing and Tethering
- Tie your debris together with old rope that you will leave at the disposal site. Retired water ski poly ropes work great.
- Take a loose 15’ piece of junk rope with you to use to securely tether your stuff at the disposal site.
- If you make a big raft of lake junk, use a stouter rope for your tow line. You’ll bring this home with you.
- Anticipate a slow trip. A big bundle of old logs or dock sections will be cumbersome and slow is best.
Reach out to your next-door neighbors and offer a helping hand, even if you think they don’t need one.
If you have a boat and can voluntarily help a lake resident collect and move their debris, please let us know. We’ll keep a list and connect you with neighbors in need.
Call: Hayden Lake Manager, Todd Walker, at 208-771-0525Â
Email: contact@haydenlakewid.com.
Debris is accepted for disposal only while the water is high. High water is necessary to float grounded debris and for safe transport to the collection site. It is also needed to lift the waste from the lake.
Around the beginning of June, the water level begins to recede. June, then, is the contractor’s window for doing their heavy lifting. If we push too far into that window, the contractor may not be able to complete the work before the water falls too low, and the debris will have to remain in the slough until next spring.
While experienced residents have recommended transport on the May 31-June 1 weekend, the Improvement District will accept permit-bearing junk lumber and debris through June 9.
No. If you are repairing or replacing a dock that you own, please don’t use the Lake Debris Removal Program to manage your waste. This would place an inconsiderate burden on the Improvement District and your neighbors that could compromise other HLWID programs that you enjoy. Instead, have your dock-building contractor responsibly remove and dispose of your old dock.
Taking care of Hayden Lake is a collaborative community effort. Most residents are grateful for the Lake Debris Removal Program and participate in it respectfully, for the good of all. Occasionally, people seek to take advantage of it for their personal benefit. People may also disagree with the process and attempt to block it in ways that can harm residents and boaters.
Please follow these guidelines if you see program-related activity that doesn’t meet expectations:
- Treat others with utmost respect.
- Share program and contact information. The Guidelines portion of your participant permit is a good source for this.
- Contact the Hayden Lake Manager, Todd Walker, at 208-771-0525 or email contact@haydenlakewid.com.
Contact the Hayden Lake Manager, Todd Walker, at 208-771-0525 or email contact@haydenlakewid.com.
The collection period for 2025 has closed. The collection site will be cleared of debris by July 4.
