1. District detail

Boise River Flood Control District No. 10 crews recently started removing hazardous trees, snags and debris as part of their seasonal maintenance work.

The winter maintenance, conducted when flows drop following irrigation season, aims to help prevent future flooding and property damage.

The overall goal is to clear the channel to ensure in can handle higher seasonal flows, whether from flood-control operations or irrigation, district manager Mark Zirschky told Capital Press.

For example, tree sweepers and strainers are cut and removed from the river, “leaving the stumps so the bank stays intact,” he said. The wood is cut and piled outside the ordinary high-water mark for burning, either this season or next.

“A lot of the burning this year is of piles from last year now dry enough to burn,” Zirschky said.

Conditions are mostly normal for Boise River winter maintenance work, he said.

“We are looking at a couple of bank repairs we’ll try to do this cycle if we can get permitting,” Zirschky said. A goal is to “try to get them done before spring runoff.”

Winter maintenance work likely will take two to three months if conditions allow, he said.

The work is performed under permits issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Idaho Department of Water Resources as well as a memorandum of understanding that the district has with the state Department of Environmental Quality.

Some DEQ-approved burning may occur during the current winter maintenance season, according to the district. Large woody debris many be moved within the riparian zone to enhance wildlife habitat.

The taxing district is among about 15 agencies and organizations involved in managing the Boise River, along with the cities of Boise, Garden City, Eagle, Star, Middleton, Caldwell and Nampa.