Boathouses, Boat Lifts and Docks

The Devils Lake Water Improvement District (DLWID) is working with others including PADL to revise the county boathouse and dock regulations.

The State of Oregon owns the submerged and submersible land underlying many of the state’s waterways. The State Land Board, which consists of the Governor, Secretary of State, and State Treasurer, is charged with managing this land on behalf of all Oregonians. The Department of State Lands (DSL), as the Land Board’s administrative arm, is responsible for the day-to-day management of this publicly-owned resource.
   In many places throughout Oregon, people have constructed or placed structures on state-owned submerged and submersible land. These structures range from large commercial marinas to small, private use docks. In almost all cases, state law requires that the owner of a structure placed on state-owned submerged and submersible land must obtain authorization from DSL to occupy that land.
   In 1998, the Land Board adopted administrative rules that allow certain, privately-owned, non-commercial structures such as docks, floats, boat houses and floating recreational cabins to obtain the appropriate authorization from DSL in the form of a simplified registration rather than a lease.
  The following uses of state-owned submerged and submersible lands must be registered with DSL:
• Non-commercial docks/floats and boat houses smaller than 2,500 square feet and associated gangways, dolphins, pilings and protective booms
• Non-commercial floating recreational cabins smaller than 1,500 square feet and associated gangways, dolphins, pilings and protective booms
• Water sport structures (unless authorized by the Oregon Marine Board with a Special Use Device Permit)
• Any similar structure determined by DSL to be registerable
Each registration is good for five years.

The county follows the following process when handling any Conditional Use Permit which Boat Houses or Boat Docks would fall under.
 
1. Receive the Application
2. Within 30 days
a. Notify Department of State Lands and Devils Lake Water Improvement District and await comments
b. Build a Staff Report
c. Make a tentative  approval with conditions or deny application
3. Notify all neighboring properties within 250’ radius of the property if tentative approval granted
4. Provide 15 days to appeal:  $100 fee applies
5. Grant final approval.

Some ideas from Washington Sate
Better docks for salmon - chinook - but may apply to coho in Devils Lake
King County, Washington
Interesting site with lots of information
http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wrias/8/lakeside-living/docks.htm

King County Washington lakeside for salmon migration
Better docks for salmon - chinook - but may apply to coho
Interesting site with lots of information
http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wrias/8/lakeside-living/docks.htm
http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wrias/8/migratorystartlist91504lsal_(2).doc
Protect and restore water quality in tributaries and along shoreline. Restore coho runs in smaller tributaries as control mechanism to reduce the cutthroat population. Reconnect and enhance small creek mouths as juvenile rearing areas.
Basinwide recommendations:
* Address water quality and high flow impacts from creeks and shoreline development through NPDES permit updates (including low impact development techniques), on-site stormwater detention for new and redeveloped projects, and control of point sources that discharge directly into the lakes. Encourage low impact development through regulations, incentives, education/training, and demonstration projects throughout subarea.
* Protect and restore water quality and other ecological functions in tributaries to reduce effects of urbanization and reduce conditions which encourage cutthroat. Protect and restore forest cover, riparian buffers, wetlands, and creek mouths by revising and enforcing critical areas ordinances and Shoreline Master Programs, incentives, and flexible development tools.
* Promote through design competitions and media coverage the use of “rain gardens” and other low impact development practices that mimic natural hydrology. Combine a home/garden tour or “Street of Dreams” type event featuring these landscape /engineering treatments
* Enhance small creek mouths in Lake Washington Segment 1: enhance Mouth of Kennydale Creek in Gene Coulon Park; enhance mouth and lower reaches of Johns Creek. Encourage participation of citizen-based stewardship efforts in these restoration projects (such as Stream Teams).

Copyright © 2003-2011 Preservation Association of Devils Lake (PADL).
All rights reserved.

P.O. Box 36
Lincoln City, OR 97367
PADLsteward@wcn.net