Boaters will have a hard time ignoring the new buoys on the Spokane River this summer.

Kootenai County staff has prepped 20 sturdy buoys with large anchoring systems. They’re ready to be deployed to educate boaters and will be installed well in advance of primary boating activity on the river.

“There have been no-wake buoys on the river for many years,” said Nick Synder, Kootenai County director of Parks & Waterways. “However these are much more robust. Unfortunately, in the past, we’ve had homeowners and the public move the buoys to locations that they like. These larger buoys will have a more robust anchoring system to ensure they stay in place.”

Lit with navigational lights, the buoys will be placed at intervals along the waterway to alert boaters to no-wake zones, submerged hazards, and swimming areas.

“Our staff has all the buoys prepped,” Snyder said Tuesday. “That was not a small undertaking. We had to fabricate all the hardware, the gear. The commissioners anticipate a contract with North Idaho Maritime forthcoming for the deployment of those buoys prior to June 1st.”

The $60,000 project has been funded by Avista. The larger buoys will reduce maintenance for staff while being much more visible to the boater.

“The river is not like a lake. It is moving; it changes and fluctuates,” Snyder said. “[North Idaho Maritime] can only do the installations when conditions permit.”

The Kootenai County Board of Commissioners has agreed to a stepped approach to tackle tensions on the river. They plan to launch step one this boating season to combat erosion and motor travel that doesn’t follow county ordinances.

The Post Falls Police Department will team up with the county’s marine deputies to enforce 100-foot no-wake zones and 35 mph speed limits during the day and 20 mph speed limits at night on the river.

The buoys will mark the no-wake zones in addition to submerged hazards, like the sandbar by Greensferry Island. The county hopes step one — buoys, education, and enforcement — will help alleviate problems on the river.

“Put simply, step two wouldn’t occur unless step one fails,” Commissioner Chris Fillios said.

“Law enforcement is a huge deal,” Commissioner Leslie Duncan said. “We can have 15 steps, but if we don’t have officers out there enforcing it … I’d like to see how the buoys plus law enforcement work together, then address a step two.”

“We’ve been going down this yellow brick road together and it sounds like you’re coming to some conclusion,” said Coeur d’Alene resident Jim Stafford.

Stafford is a part of RiverFriends2019, a group that formed to address the safety and erosion issues on the Spokane River in Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls. The group aims to arrive at consensus regarding the causes and to find a solution to decrease river bank erosion and safety hazards. The group believes the 100-foot wake zone is not enough to protect property owners and users on the waterway.

Snyder proposed the commissioners take a closer look at no-wake zones throughout the county, not just on the Spokane River.

“If a wake is a problem on one body of water, it’s probably a problem elsewhere,” Snyder said. “For the benefit of the voters of Kootenai County, it’s very difficult to understand where you can and cannot do something and it’s asking a lot for people to try and do that on one body of water.”

Commissioners agreed with Snyder’s concerns, but saved further conversation for another day.