Bar owners must remove imported sand from lake

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has ordered the owners of Eddie’s Bar and Grill at Arrow Point to remove part of their imported sandy beach, an increasingly common violation that officials said is “very bad” for the lake.

Divers started sucking up the sand Monday. The two-week reclamation could cost Discovery Coeur d’Alene Investors LLC up to $100,000. That’s part of the same group that owns Gozzer Ranch, the adjacent luxury golf retreat.

Beth Reinhart, a corps project manager, said the company created a 270-foot-by-30-foot swim area in front of Eddie’s last spring without applying for a permit. Some of the sand is below the ordinary high water mark and could harm aquatic life such as fish, plants and insects.

Last year, crews shoveled out some of the sand but stopped to avoid harming the lakebed. Now Discovery Coeur d’Alene Investors has hired a suction dredge.

Reinhart said the owners “at no time admitted” placing sand below the summer water level and instead said the sand migrated into the lake.

Reinhart said the company is complying with the reclamation order so there will be no investigation into how the sand got in the water – and no fines. The company also is working with Kootenai County for permission to landscape the area so the sand won’t migrate into the lake again.

Discovery spokesman Andy Holloran didn’t return a phone call seeking comment Wednesday.

The geology of Lake Coeur d’Alene doesn’t allow for naturally sandy beaches. Reinhart said many lakefront property owners want beaches and have been illegally importing sand.

“It’s very bad for the lake and it’s very, very expensive if you get caught,” she said.