HomeMy Public PortalAbout2022.07.21 City of McCall Ltr County Cougar Island 216 East Park Street
City of McCall McCall, Idaho 83638
- - Phone 208-634-7142
www.mccall.id.us Fax 208-634-3038
July 20,2022
Valley County Board of Commissioners
Re: Cougar Island of the Payette Endowment Lands
Dear Commissioners Hasbrouck, Maupin, and Allen:
The city shares your concerns about the protection of Cougar Island for both recreational enjoyment and for
protection of the drinking water quality of Payette Lake.
As you know from the decades of efforts to transfer all cottage sites around the lake to the PLRWSD sewer
system, all development on the perimeter of Payette Lake is required to be served by a DEQ regulated and
approved sewer system, not septic. Extending sewer lines to the island will be difficult and extremely
expensive. IDL's "pert testing" of the island as part of the appraisal process causes us great alarm because it
indicates the intent for septic systems to be installed,which should not be allowed for the same reasons septic
systems are not allowed on any other shoreline property of Payette Lake.
As Cougar Island is in Payette Lake and in the McCall Area of Impact, it is subject to your county ordinances
regulating development. The city strongly encourages you to consider two approaches to protecting the Island
that are within your authority to enact.
1. Adopt a resolution prior to the state auction declaring the islands within Payette Lake as an "Area of
Critical Concern" which then triggers environmental impact assessment requirements for your review
prior to any proposed development applications. You can find the authority for this in your
Subdivision and Development codes.
2. The city also strongly encourages Valley County to consider adopting an emergency ordinance
prohibiting development on the islands in Payette Lake. The basis for the emergency is the need for
wastewater disposal regulations in the county code specific to islands. If the County wishes to pursue
the creation of new wastewater disposal regulations for the islands, city planning staff is available to
assist county planning staff with the development of code language for presentation to the McCall
Area Planning and Zoning Commission and public hearing/adoption by the County Commission upon
your request.
We have submitted the attached letter to the state Land Board. The City Council does not have the legal
authority to adopt regulations that apply to property outside of city limits. We hope you will consider using
your legal authority to do so in this matter. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions regarding this
matter.
Sincerely,
Robert S. Giles
Mayor
Att: Letter to State Land Board dated July 20, 2022