FLOATING STATE LINE INSTALLED IN COLUMBIA RIVER

Photograph shows new floating state
line in the Columbia River

Washington and Oregon officials announced yesterday that they are installing a floating line in the Columbia River to mark the border between the two states.  The inflatable vinyl marker is six inches in width and about 240 miles long, said Chief Petty Officer Pluto Ramirez of the U.S. Coast Guard.  "It's on a big reel and we just unroll it off the back of the boat," he said.  Why is a floating state line needed?  "There are signs on the bridges that mark the border but nothing in the water, and that causes big problems.  For example, we sometimes have a boater with a Washington fishing license who inadvertently catches an Oregon fish and vice-versa.  It's a headache, and we're hoping this new marker will solve that problem," said Ramirez.