Corps re-opens Ilia Dunes after clean-up

The Ilia Dunes on the lower Snake River was re-opened Sunday by the United States Army’s Corps of Engineers.

A week-long clean-up after a wild party Aug. 25-26 netted more than 3,000 pounds of trash from the shore, the water and the three miles of ditch along the road between the dunes and Lower Granite Dam. The litter was hauled to the Asotin County landfill.

Corps officials estimated 3,000 people hit the dunes that weekend, an unusually large crowd compared to the typical weekend count of 100 to 300 visitors.

Bruce Henrickson, spokesman for the corps, said 64 volunteer students from Washingt...