Boiler Bay Beacon
The Oregon State Marine Board on Thursday approved new motorboat restrictions on the Siletz River in Lincoln County and directed staff to improve facilities at Old Mill Park in the City of Siletz.
The board, meeting in a hybrid session in Madras, adopted the following rules:
- Between Jack Morgan Park boat ramp and Old Mill Park boat ramp, no person may use a motor exceeding 15 horsepower or operate above slow-no-wake speed.
- All motor use is prohibited upstream of Old Mill Park boat ramp.
- All motor use is prohibited on all Siletz River tributaries upstream of Jack Morgan Park boat ramp.
To avoid disrupting scheduled fall and winter angling opportunities and the local community, the board added a delayed effective date of March 31, 2027.
Board members also instructed staff to work promptly with the City of Siletz on permitting and design improvements at Old Mill Park. Planned work includes upgrades to parking areas, replacement of the boat ramp, and installation of a new vault toilet. The board delegated out-of-cycle funding authority to Director Warren for those improvements, capped at $500,000 in boating facility grants.
Staff was further directed to develop educational and safety signage before the rules take effect and to conduct a standard one-year review in 2028 to evaluate the rules’ effectiveness.
In other action, the board opened rulemaking on two statewide items: updating personal flotation device definitions in Marine Board rules to match U.S. Coast Guard terminology, and creating a reciprocity rule for Oregon and Idaho outfitter guides operating on the Snake River. The reciprocity proposal aims to ensure consistent registration, license, and permit requirements across the shared border water, similar to an existing arrangement with Washington.
The Marine Board will issue separate news releases seeking written public comments once formal Notices of Rulemaking are filed with the Secretary of State’s Office. Proposed language for both items is available in the board packet posted on the agency’s Public Meetings page.
The Siletz River rules were the first agenda item to receive a formal vote at the July 30 meeting.
