Alcohol banned at sand dunes

EPHRATA, Wash. – Upset by off-road vehicle accidents and other rowdiness, Grant County commissioners have voted unanimously to ban drinking at the sand dunes south of Moses Lake.

After approving a maximum fine of $100 for first offenders at the dunes, one of the state’s most popular ORV sites, the three commissioners said Monday they may soon consider a similar ban at the Beverly dunes.

About 50 people attended the meeting, and two-thirds of the 21 speakers opposed the ban, which was proposed by the Sheriff’s Office and takes effect May 1 at the dunes around the south of the lake.

“I hate to see peoples’ personal liberties eroded, but the few ruin it for the many,” said Commissioner Richard Stevens, a Republican. “I’m sorry it comes down to that.”

Existing laws are inadequate to handle alcohol-related partying and ORV accidents on peak weekends, sheriff’s Deputy David Ponozzo said.

“We need something that we can do something with,” Ponozzo said. “As of now our control is little.”

Another deputy, Courtney Conklin, said the emergency room at Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake was swamped with vehicular crash victims – 90 percent from alcohol-related accidents – after Memorial Day last year.

With 5,000 to 8,000 people at the dunes that weekend, deputies wrote about 155 tickets for underage drinking or off-road driving offenses.

“There’s kind of this aura now,” Conklin said. “People don’t want to ride; they come to watch the mayhem.”