Debris removal at Ambush Rock/Kootenai River shoreline

BONNERS FERRY — Ambush Rock is getting cleaned up, thanks to efforts led by the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho.

As part of the reclamation and clean-up of the site, the Tribe, working with Goodfellow Bros. and Boundary County Search and Rescue Dive Team, teams successfully removed three car bodies abandoned along the shoreline of the Kootenai River downstream of the Search and Rescue boat ramp. Construction crews are currently working on a large-scale clean-up of the former dump site located at Ambush Rock.

The clean-up is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency as part of its Columbia River Toxics Reduction Program. The Kootenai Tribal Environmental Department was awarded a grant in 2023 to clean up the site.

The Boundary County SAR Dive Team volunteered to assist with the removal of the car debris as part of its emergency training program. 

Once the airbags were attached and inflated, the car body was towed to the boat launch by BCSO marine units. Awaiting GB staff then pulled the car out of the water and hauled it to an adjacent area to get it ready to send it off for scrap.

The SAR boat launch was used as a pick-up location for the debris. The airbag and towing system was used as it was determined to be the least invasive to the riparian areas, officials said.

KTOI Environmental Department staff said that, because there would be no incidental fallback, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials said no permits were necessary.

BCSO officials said they were happy to be part of the event.

“In the past couple years, we have had vehicles end up in the Kootenai River and in some of the small lakes, " Detective Caleb Watts, who is involved with the marine division of the Boundary County Sheriff’s Office, said about vehicles in the river. “We have had to utilize outside sources to come in with equipment to get those vehicles out.”

Watts said it has been rewarding to see the search and rescue team grow and become trained and self-sufficient in a very technical way. 

“SAR has multiple highly trained specialty teams that put in a lot of personal time and dedication for this community,” he added. “The dive team trains at least once a month, including the winter months. We are always looking for new ways to get training in different areas and the project with getting the cars out of the Kootenai River was a perfect opportunity.”

    Goodfellow Bros. Foreman Dave Swansen and Tracey Sines move the car body from the boat ramp to the parking lot so it can be hauled for scrap.