ROSE LAKE — Just as local anglers are itching for spring fishing after a long winter, other residents who live next to one of those same bodies of water are in flood-fight mode.

Those scenarios were at a crossroads on Tuesday when Kootenai County commissioners decided to temporarily impose a no-wake zone for Rose Lake to protect homes that are being flooded or threatened from further damage.

The decision prohibits the use of internal combustion engines, limiting watercraft to electric motors and paddles only.

The action also will apply to any future bodies of water where flooding is occurring and there are properties the county believes need to be protected from wakes. The no-wake designation will remain in effect until flooding subsides.

Kootenai County Deputy Jeff Burns told commissioners he has received calls from homeowners who are battling the flood near Rose Lake. They’re worried about the wakes damaging their property now that the ice is off and spring fever is setting in with fishermen.

"The water is up to the front door of one cabin," said Burns, referring to a home on Doyle Road off Highway 3. "The residents don't expect much help other than with the boats that are going out there. They're concerned about sending wakes against the shoreline or, in many cases, buildings. In some areas, the shoreline is not even visible."

Burns said the homeowner of the cabin that he spoke of is living at his place in Pinehurst during the flooding. Burns estimates flooding is affecting 20 to 25 homes in the Rose Lake area.

"The water has come up higher than anyone has seen," he said.

Meanwhile, the county on Tuesday morning also lifted its no-wake designation on Lake Coeur d'Alene due to the drop in the water level. However, Nick Snyder, the county's Parks and Waterways director, cautioned the designation could teeter back and forth the next few days depending on rain and the lake level hovering around the flood stage of 2,133 feet at Tubbs Hill.

"There are a lot of people wanting to get their boats in the water to go fishing, but we're also dealing with a lot of rain," Snyder said. "We'll follow the letter of the law (on the lake level and no-wake designation)."

Sheriff's Office Lt. Stu Miller said even though the lake dipped below flood stage on Tuesday, creating a wake still has the potential to damage property. When that happens, even without a no-wake designation, boaters are still responsible for damage their wake causes.

Due to flood conditions or ice damage, some public boating launches remain closed until repairs can be completed or the water recedes. Those facilities include: Spokane Point, Harlow Point, Harrison, Fernan Park, Hauser, Mica Bay, Upper Twin, Sun Up and the Bell Bay Docks.

Burns said Rose Lake, not the nearby Chain Lakes, are the biggest issue in that area because there are more structures next to the water.

While flooding has subsided on the nearby Coeur d'Alene River, Rose Lake is still having problems due to the lack of a relief valve and persistent rain.

"The lake is like a bowl," Burns said. "There is nowhere for the water to go. There's really no release system for the water."

Burns said a gate at the lake is closed; otherwise it would be filling up more.

Commissioner Marc Eberlein said he was not supportive of closing the lake to all boating activity because it's a public waterway.

"I also don't agree with closing the boat launch because that is where someone can put their canoe in," he said.

Eberlein said the no-wake decision was aimed at striking a balance between fishing and flooding.

"We realize that bass are moving to the shallow areas, but we also want to be respectful of property during the flooding," he said.