Most are around Omak and the Chiliwist areas
By Marcy Stamper
Okanogan County is proposing to open 91 miles of roads to wheeled all-terrain vehicles (WATVs), primarily in and around Omak and the Chiliwist.
The county evaluated all roads with speed limits of 35 miles per hour (mph) or less in commissioner District 1 and eliminated 150 miles of roads “due to environmental and resource concerns caused by the possibility of illegal ridership,” according to the county’s environmental review of the proposal.
The county invited public input this past summer about the suitability of these roads for WATVs, and removed from the list roads that were “adjacent to or led to sensitive areas… [with] a high likelihood that illegal operators may leave the designated roadways.”
The proposal includes reducing the speed limit to 35 mph on another 13 miles of roads so they can be used by WATVs. State law allows WATVs only on roads with speed limits of 35 mph and below. WATV have special regulations, including safety features such as lights and mirrors.
Okanogan County Planning Director Perry Huston determined that opening these roads to WATVs would not have a significant adverse environmental impact if mitigation measures are imposed. Proposed mitigations include several ways of letting WATV riders know which roads are open to the vehicles: through the county’s website, outreach to rider groups, and signs on the roads themselves.
The county would post additional signs in environmentally sensitive areas to advise people that WATVs must stay on the traveled part of the roadway and that fines for traveling off-road are doubled in these critical areas.
Maps of county roads where WATVs are permitted to ride — and where they’re prohibited — will be available on the website of the Okanogan County Department of Public Works.
Other agencies
The county intends to consult land-management agencies, including the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Washington Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Forest Service to learn about any enforcement concerns.
As part of an annual review of the WATV policy, the county will consult these land-management agencies and law enforcement to see if there have been any impacts to these environmentally sensitive areas.
The county commissioners have been reviewing roads suitable for WATVs, one commissioner district at a time. They opened 365 miles of roads in District 3, in the northern part of the county, in 2017. The current proposal focuses on roads in District 1, with a few routes in District 2. The commissioners plan to review District 2 “as time and staffing allow.” The Methow Valley is in District 2.
Another 300 miles in the county are open to other types of off-road vehicles.
People can comment on the proposed WATV routes until Friday, Jan. 11, to Rocky Robbins at rrobbins@co.okanogan.wa.us.
A list and map of the roads and the county’s environmental analysis are available on the Planning Department website at www.okanogancounty.org/planning under “WATV.” The documents are in the top box under that link.
For more information, call Huston at (509) 422-7218.
