In Sanders Beach public access dispute, CdA may draw the line

Coeur d’Alene may draw a literal line in the sand this summer to show people which part of Sanders Beach is open to the public.

The city needs to know the exact location of the invisible high water mark, declared by a judge in September, to enforce trespass laws and other rules for public parks, such as dogs on leashes and no alcohol.

“It makes sense to make some kind of marking,” City Attorney Mike Gridley said.

Another option is to ask District Judge James Judd to clarify whether a temporary injunction governing the beach last summer is still in effect, even though he set the ordinary high water mark at 2,130 feet above sea level – 2 feet higher than the summer pool and what the state considers the high water mark. Property owners along the beach have appealed the decision to the Idaho Supreme Court, which likely won’t decide until fall.

The city began enforcing park rules when Judd issued the injunction, declaring that anything below the Sanders Beach seawalls was open to the public.

But his September ruling establishing the 2,130-foot mark isn’t as clear as designating the seawalls as the marker. Only one seawall sits at that elevation. The others vary, so Gridley said the city might have to draw a line for law enforcement and the public.