Labor Day Weekend Boating Caution Urged
Marine Patrol officers will be out in force this Labor Day weekend, scouring popular lakes, reservoirs and rivers offering assistance and working to ensure a safe weekend on the water.
"We expect a busy weekend," said Paul Donheffner, director of the Oregon State Marine Board. "The coastal salmon fisheries are in full swing, water levels in northwest Oregon are generally in good shape and boating activity has been high this summer. Labor Day weekend is traditionally the last major boating weekend of the season."
Marine patrol officers report that the summer has, on average, been a good one for boaters. Still, they will be busy Labor Day weekend looking for several common violations – people without proper safety gear, intoxicated boat operators, and boaters operating recklessly.
"It's been a mixed summer on the Portland metro waterways," said Clackamas County Marine Deputy Doug Olsen. "We've investigated several personal watercraft accidents that could have been quite serious, and they generally involved inexperienced users colliding with other personal watercraft. We've had some near drownings involving manually powered craft, too. All these accidents point to the same fact – life jackets are really important, even if you're casually paddling around in a blow-up kayak."
Deputy Willie Nyberg has spent much of August monitoring the salmon fishing at the mouth of the Columbia River. One boater has already died in the "Buoy 10" fishery there. "There are a lot of boats here," said Nyberg. "But on average, we've had fewer accidents - things seem to be going pretty well. We've noticed that more people are wearing their life jackets this year. That's great news and it could help save lives. Maybe people are starting to get the message."
Inland reservoirs are expected to be crowded, too. Sgt. Tim Steele, with the Marion County Sheriffs Office, said he expects a good crowd at Detroit Lake. "It's actually been a pretty good summer," said Steele. There have been no major boating accidents on the reservoir and reports are that boaters are generally being safe. "As long as people are careful, Labor Day weekend should be great. Come on up and have a good time."
Some reservoirs, especially in southwest and eastern Oregon, are already low, and some western Oregon reservoirs are starting to drop their levels, too. "The flats northeast of Piety Island are beginning to be exposed," said Steele. "There's still lots of great water at Detroit, but people need to be aware of the shallow areas."
"That's going to be true in other popular reservoirs and rivers," said Randy Henry, information representative for the Marine Board. "But overall, we're on course for an average boating year. We've had 11 boating fatalities so far in 2002, which is on par for the last two years. Most would have been averted if the victims had been wearing life jackets. The message from that is 'wear your life jacket' and enjoy the last week of summer vacation safely."
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