An Oregon Agency Just Banned Beer on Sauvie Island Beaches for the Summer

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife just unanimously voted to ban booze.

Collins Beach on Sauvie Island (Emily Joan Greene)
By Elise Herron

Say goodbye to summer days of nudie lounging on Sauvie Island with a cold beer in hand.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife voted this morning to ban alcoholic beverages from the area between May 1 and September 30 every year. The Oregonian first reported on the vote today.

ODFW announced the potential ban last month, after documenting an uptick in "alcohol-related problems" on Sauvie Island beaches during summer months.

A February 15 statement from the agency cites 17 DUII's issued to people leaving Sauvie Island last year—36 percent of all DUII arrests in the county.

ODFW guesses that around 488,465 people visit the beach area annually, and that on hot days upwards of 16,000 people lounge river-side daily, "exceeding the capacity of emergency services personnel to effectively respond to all the alcohol-related problems."

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