Reply With QuoteThere goes Steamboat!
Council to consider carbon monoxide recommendations
By Brian Wedemeyer
Bridgewater Channel could have a much different look this summer if the Lake Havasu City Council adopts staff recommendations to tackle the carbon monoxide issue.
Staff has recommended several actions be taken starting Memorial Day weekend, such as prohibiting mooring of boats on holiday weekends. Wading in the Channel also could be prohibited. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the police facility, 2360 McCulloch Blvd.
âThe idea is to minimize the chance that somebody would be poisoned in the Channel,â said Charlie Cassens, city spokesman. âThe best way to accomplish that is to separate the people from the boats.â
Attracting hundreds of boaters and partygoers on busy summer weekends, the Channel has been the subject of growing concerns about open-air carbon monoxide poisoning from boat exhaust.
The Arizona Department of Health Services, which participated in some air-quality testing, determined that a public health hazard existed at the Channel last Memorial Day weekend. An autopsy of a man who drowned in the Channel that same weekend determined that carbon monoxide was a secondary cause of death. The family has since threatened a lawsuit after the city rejected its $2 million wrongful death claim.
A consultant hired by the city last year determined that carbon monoxide concentrations in the Channel were highest on boats and near the waterâs surface from about 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Concentrations also were highest on Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends.
âWe understand there are thousands of responsible people who go to the Channel on holiday weekends who would be affected by this,â Cassens said. âWe donât expect itâs going to be a popular recommendation, but hopefully it will be an effective one.â
Staff has proposed restricting mooring to designated areas on non-holiday weekends, and enforcement of an âengines-offâ ordinance for those boats that are beached.
Other recommendations include creation of pamphlets, posters, public service announcements and signs to warn people about potential carbon monoxide poisoning. The cost to carry out the recommended actions is estimated at $66,700.
Staff also has proposed long-term monitoring of carbon monoxide levels to measure the effectiveness of the actions taken. In addition, the city attorneyâs office would draft an ordinance giving the police chief or other designee authority to take action if air quality is believed to be hazardous.
There goes Steamboat!
That's exactly what I was thinking! Oh well...I don't go out on big weekends anyway. Every other weekend works for me!
The only trouble is that once they start something like this it seems to escalate and soon the channel might not have any boats parked in it.
Any of you LHC residents consider going to the meeting and standing up and speaking on this issue? I would if I were there tonight.
No wading in the channel? Where will they go to the bathroom?
Beer bottle, I guess. Might be tough catching a turd in one unless it's a Mickeys Big Mouth!
Council sinks most CO plans for Channel
By Mark Hall
Members of the Lake Havasu City Council have rejected most aspects of a staff-backed plan to address the carbon monoxide issue in Bridgewater Channel.
During a meeting Tuesday, the council eschewed plans that would prohibit mooring in the Channel during holiday weekends and restrict it to certain areas on other weekends.
The Council also scratched a measure that would prohibit wading in the Channel.
"Telling people to go down, enjoy the Channel, but don't get in the water (when it's 120 degrees) ... It's ridiculous for us to do that," said councilman Don Clark.
Council directed staff to author ordinances that would prohibit boaters from running their engines while their crafts are moored and distributing pamphlets at launch ramp sites and with boat rentals.
Other ordinances requested by the council are the development a city employee education program, the monitoring of employee exposure and the posting of signs at boat launch facilities.
Council had questions regarding ordinances that would require the city to spend thousands of dollars on a scientifically based monitoring and display system.
"There are other things we can do that are a lot less expensive," Clark said.
A plan that would regulate Channel traffic by implementing a traffic pattern and restricting larger boats also drew some questions from council members.
Clark said he believes such an ordinance would "decrease carbon monoxide significantly," while Mayor Bob Whelan said it would be unfair to enforce an ordinance during periods of bad weather.
Staff will research the monitoring and display issues, as well as traffic patterns, and present its findings to council at their next meeting.
"We'll have our work cut out for us," said John Bergman, city fire chief.
Driven by studies conducted by a consultant the city hired last year and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, city staff drew up its recommendations.
ADEQ determined that a public health hazard existed in the Channel last Memorial Day weekend. An autopsy of a man who drowned in the Channel during that weekend determined that exposure to carbon monoxide was a secondary cause of death.
The man's family has since threatened a lawsuit after the city rejected its $2 million wrongful death claim.
The city's consultant determined concentrations of the deadly fumes were highest on boats and near the water's surface from about 5 to 9 p.m. Concentrations were also highest on Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends, it reported
Originally posted by Ducatista
No wading in the channel? Where will they go to the bathroom?
Originally posted by Ducatista
No wading in the channel? Where will they go to the bathroom?
On your boat I guess?
This past weekend I saw a couple boats idling the engines for about ten minutes to charge the batteries. Then I see a Mastercraft Ski boat go by with a couple girls sitting on the swim step while the boat is underway. These peope just dont get it!
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