Earth Anchor for Buoys
Nov 28, 2022| Earth Anchor for Buoys:
A maintenance plan for installed earth anchors and buoys must be developed during the design. Maintenance, with its associated costs, is mandatory to assure safety for boaters. A diver shall inspect the chain and earth anchor for wear and movement. Size and weight of the buoys shall be designed to enable inspection by Forest Service work boats, although contracting may be used in some cases.
Location.
Highest priority shall be the placement of buoys at existing developed trailheads, cabins, and other marine related recreation facilities.
2. Buoy locations shall conform with the adopted ROS classification for the area, as approved in LMP's. In some cases, buoys detract from the natural setting and are not desired by the public. Not every anchorage needs a buoy.
3. Priority shall be given to locating buoys in areas where new anchorages are created due to conditions preventing relatively safe anchorage. This applies, for example, to situations with a hard or steeply sloping bottom or a lack of "swing room" where a boat normally would not anchor, although protected and relatively ice-free. These conditions also dictate a rigorous site evaluation and design.
4. Do not pre-empt existing natural anchorages. There have been cases in the past where a buoy, located in the center of a good anchorage, has prevented boats from utilizing adjacent areas because of the wider swinging area required with normal anchor gear on those boats.
5. Locate buoys in areas relatively ice-free most of the year. Ice can carry the buoy away as the ice pack moves out in the spring. We know of no practical way to design for ice loading.
6. Locate buoys outside normal travel lanes, within the anchorage area.