COEUR d'ALENE — Area agencies and groups are collaborating to remove about 50 illegal buoys from Hayden Lake before more legal ones are installed to alert boaters about no-wake zones.

Some lake homeowners have placed unauthorized buoys on the water to protect their shorelines and other property from pounding wakes.

All buoys and other encroachments, however, must be permitted through the Idaho Department of Lands. They’re to be placed 200 feet from shore, Kootenai County Parks and Waterways director Nick Snyder said.

The county, Idaho Department of Lands, Hayden Lake Watershed Improvement District and the nonprofit Hayden Lake Watershed Association are working on a plan to notify property owners via postcard this summer to remove the illegal buoys before legal ones at the correct distance are placed by late August.

"Our objective is simply to educate people what 200 feet looks like," Steve Meyer, a member of the association, told county commissioners.

Meyer said the distance of illegally placed buoys varied, which can confuse boaters.

Making matters even more confusing, Snyder said, is that legal and illegal buoys can look identical.

"Anyone can buy U.S. Coast Guard-approved buoys and deploy [them], unfortunately," he said.

Property owners will be given 30 days from the time they’re notified to remove the illegal buoys.

Snyder said the county was applying with the Idaho Department of Lands for 14 buoys to replace the illegal ones. The number is sufficient to inform boaters of no-wake zones while not creating an eyesore, he said.

No-wake zones will be enforced all over the lake, not just in specific places where buoys are placed. The buoys will remain in place year-round.

Applications for navigational buoys can only be filed by local, county, state or federal entities that are authorized to make such improvements.

Residents who place unpermitted buoys in a navigable waterway are in violation of the Lake Protection Act and are subject to civil penalties of $150 to $2,500, plus the expense incurred by the state in enforcing the law.

"True navigational buoys, like street signs, provide information to help boaters navigate safely," Idaho Department of Lands spokeswoman Sharla Arledge said,

Mary Ann Stoll, communications manager for the improvement district, said the effort was also about protecting the health of the lake.

"Wakes erode shorelines, and the material that's pulled away from the shoreline adds nutrients for weeds to grow," she said. "It creates an environment that is healthy for the weeds."

Stoll said weeds such as milfoil can wreak havoc for the boating public and become a safety problem if fireboats can't reach some areas of the lake.

The district has agreed to cover the cost of the new, legal buoys.

Jan Wilkins said the intent behind the buoy effort was not to be heavy-handed or restrict public access but to educate boaters and comply with the law.

"These are not new regulations," she said. "Many of the existing buoys create confusion with the public on where the legal limits are for the lake. We understand that everyone is entitled to use the lake, but our whole motivation is to make sure we can have a healthy lake for all constituencies to enjoy."

A similar situation with illegal buoys came up on the Spokane River last year, and IDL had nearly full compliance after postcards were sent to homeowners.

Mike Ahmer, of IDL, said there were about 75 illegal buoys on the river. By the end of summer, all but one had been removed.

Snyder said there was a lot of misunderstanding about buoys. The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office, which patrols the lakes and river, will select the location for the new legal buoys.

Wilkins said the collaborative project could be used as model in the future for other waterways that have illegal buoys.

"Watch your wake, care for Hayden Lake," said Wilkins, echoing the association’s tagline.