Idaho Supreme Court upholds lake encroachment decision

The Idaho Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision, ordering a man to remove obstructions he placed on a lakeshore to protect his waterfront property in northwest Idaho.

The Bonner County Daily Bee reports arguments in the case centered on dueling interpretations of the location of Priest Lake’s high-water mark, but the court on Monday ruled the mark was immaterial.

The state’s highest court ruled it is the responsibility of the Idaho Department of Lands to regulate lake encroachment, and the obstructions were encroachment.

The department brought a case against Philip Hudson after he refused to remove a seawall and an elevated beach.

The department accused him of violating the Idaho Lake Protection Act, and a lawsuit was filed in 2015. The lower court issued its ruling last year.

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Information from: Bonner County (Idaho) Daily Bee, http://www.bonnercountydailybee.com