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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Outdoors blog

College party crowd trashes Snake River beach — again

PUBLIC LANDS -- Illia Dunes on the Snake River was closed Sunday until further notice after hundreds of visitors on Saturday left trash on the beach, broken bottles and beer cans in the water and human waste on the beach.

About 1,800 people visited The Dunes downstream from Lower Granite Dam on Saturday and caused "enormous damage," according to a news release from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“We had to shut down the Dunes — It’s a visitor-safety issue. Our first objective is to clear the area of dangerous broken glass and debris, and clean up the health risk caused by visitors not using the restrooms,” said Chris Lorz, park ranger at Lower Granite Lock and Dam. “Most visitors were being pretty good about keeping the Dunes nice. Saturday’s crowd actions are really disappointing.”

The beach was closed for a short time in August but reopened after tests showed the area was once again safe for in-water recreation, following testing for fecal coliforms.

The area was previously closed because of visitor misuse in late August 2012 when about 3,000 visitors left behind thousands of pounds of trash, broken glass, foam coolers and other litter on the beach and along three miles of road ditch.

After that, parking was banned on Almota Ferry Road but two other parking lots are available. Lorz said many drivers parked in restricted areas on Saturday. In addition, the Corps added trash bins and bags.

“We do not have the resources to repeatedly clean up after thousands of party-goers who refuse to use the trash bins and bags,” said Darren Opp, park manager. “Apparently, many people were not using the three vault toilets on site. With a multiple-stall bathroom also available just down the road at the Visitor Center, there’s no reason for creating a health hazard like that.”

“The area is a habitat management unit being managed for recreation and wildlife purposes.” said Opp. “It truly is a unique land resource, and it’s unfortunate some visitors don’t fully appreciate that value.”

The rules for using the area are simple and logical. 

The abuse of the area is a disgrace.



Rich Landers
Rich Landers joined The Spokesman-Review in 1977. He is the Outdoors editor for the Sports Department writing and photographing stories about hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, conservation, nature and wildlife and related topics.

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