Partially in response to a big boat that became an unwanted fixture on Lake Billy Chinook, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is proposing new rules for the lake and other waterways around the county.

No boat could moor in the same spot for more than 16 days without moving at least 5 river miles, no boat could return to the same spot to be moored within the same calendar year and no boat could be left unattended overnight except in approved marinas and docks, according to the proposal from the sheriff’s office proposal. The Oregon State Marine Board is considering the rules and taking public comment until Dec. 20.

Since 2001, sheriff’s Capt. Marc Heckathorn has been in charge of the marine program in Jefferson County and he’s seen plenty of boats left for long periods out on Lake Billy Chinook near Culver. They include The Great Escape, a 44-foot cabin cruiser that was on the water for a couple of years until this past summer.

“It was the most obvious issue that we had because it was out there for so many years,” he said Tuesday.

Heckathorn, as well as officials with Oregon State Parks and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, said the boat became an eyesore but there were no rules requiring its removal.

The Great Escape was hauled to Newport after being pulled out of Lake Billy Chinook, Teryan Runyon, the Bend woman who owns the boat, said Tuesday. She moved the boat to the Oregon Coast to have its engine rebuilt. While it was on the lake she moved it occasionally from arm to arm. This past summer she called it her “nice little cabin on the water,” and it stayed in the same cove for at least four months.

Does she have plans to bring the boat back to Lake Billy Chinook?

“I don’t at this point,” she said, “but it is not out of the question.”

Runyon said she had not heard of the proposed rules.

Boats like The Great Escape would be subject to the rules, Heckathorn said. The state Marine Board must approve the rules before they would go into effect. By putting limits on how long a boat can stay in one place, and requiring it to be attended overnight, the sheriff’s office intends to allow more boaters to use coveted spots like coves.

The rules are modeled after some federal regulations pertaining to RVs on public land, he said. Violators would be subject to fines, but the amount of the fines has not been determined yet. Exceptions for businesses with rental boats, such as houseboats on Lake Billy Chinook, are also in the works.

While stemming from boats on the lake long term, the rules would also apply to Lake Simtustus and other waterways in Jefferson County.

Oregon State Parks, which manages The Cove Palisades State Park at Lake Billy Chinook, has yet to form an official opinion on the proposed rules, said Dave Slaght, north central district manager for the agency. He plans to meet later this month with officials from the tribes, Portland General Electric and other stakeholders at Lake Billy Chinook.

He is glad new rules are being discussed.

“The Great Escape was not our first problem and it won’t be our last if we don’t have some regulation,” he said.

— Reporter: 541-617-7812,

ddarling@bendbulletin.com