The Illia Dunes recreation area, near the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River, re-opened Sunday after closing Aug. 27 for public health and safety reasons, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
A massive party of more than 3,000 people at the dunes Aug. 25 and 26 resulted in excessive litter including beer bottles, cans and hundreds of styrofoam containers. More than 3,000 pounds of trash was cleared out of the dunes during the past week.
The Corps worked with 64 student volunteers from Washington State University’s Center for Civic Engagement during a cleanup event Saturday.
“We’re very grateful for all the volunteers that stepped forward and offered to help with cleanup. It was a pleasant surprise. We simply couldn’t use all of them,” Bruce Henrickson, Corps public affairs specialist, said in a press release. “For safety and operational efficiency reasons, we worked with a single organized group of students from Washington State University.”
The Corps intends to reevaluate recreation policies at the dunes including a potential alcohol ban. The Corps provides free plastic bags for trash removal and prohibits glass on the beach, and they will monitor how well visitors adhere to these policies.