Q: Are powerboats allowed on the Boise River? I see them each year when the water gets high.

CORKY, Boise

A: Powerboats are not allowed on the Boise River from Americana Boulevard upstream to Lucky Peak Dam.

You may have seen Boise Fire Department river-rescue and other law enforcement boats on the river. They are the only motorized boats allowed in the section we know as the "tubing stretch."

There is a stipulation that Idaho Fish and Game, animal control officers and other officials can use motorized boats with a permit from the city.

A lot of people assumed that motorized boats are not allowed on the Boise River from Americana Bridge downstream to Glenwood Bridge in the Boise city limits. Some even thought they were banned through Eagle on the river. That's not the case.

There are no laws that banmotorized boating on the river in Garden City and Eagle.

The state of Idaho has jurisdiction over rivers and has banned motorized boats in places like the South Fork of the Boise River below Anderson Ranch Dam.

Even though the state has that jurisdiction, a state attorney general's opinion in 2005 says the city of Boise can enforce ordinances on navigable waters of the Boise River.

Boise city officials are worried that without a law banning motorized boating within the city of Boise below Americana Bridge you could have a motorboater surfing the waves in the future Boise River Park (whitewater park) when it is built upstream from Veterans Park.

Motorized boats could play havoc in that section of the river as it becomes more popular for kayaking, canoeing and rafting after it is cleaned up and made more safe by the Boise River Park.

Traditionally, duck hunters and anglers have operated jet boats and motorboats on the Lower Boise River from the confluence of the Snake River upstream as far as they could go. They are limited by narrow channels and diversion dams, which make for some pretty unfriendly motorboating.

Another limiting factor is river access. There aren't many places to back a boat trailer to the river.

Banning powerboats from the stretch upstream from Americana Bridge was a no-brainer because of the tubing and floating activity and the wildlife preserve at Barber Pool.

As the river is improved downstream from Americana Bridge, more people will float the river downstream through Eagle.

It's a good time to think about banning motorized boats from Eagle to Boise, and that's coming from a jet-boating family.