Breaking a logjam.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Sometimes enough is enough, the time for talking and hand-wringing is over, and somebody has to step forward to do what's necessary, regardless of the consequences.

On Tuesday, a determined group of "somebodies" did exactly that. With state agencies unwilling or unable to remove a killer snag from the confluence of the McKenzie and Mohawk rivers, a self-appointed task force of Lane County sheriff's deputies, Mohawk Fire Department volunteers, a Springfield contractor and local property owners took matters into their own hands.

As a result, a stretch of the McKenzie River from Hayden Bridge down to Armitage Park is now free of a submerged 80-foot tree responsible for the deaths of two local boaters and numerous close calls.

The latest fatality was Eugene kayaker Renee Wyser-Pratte, who drowned Sunday when her kayak flipped and the current pinned her against what boaters call a "strainer." A Springfield woman perished at the same spot last year. Remnants of her raft remained tangled in the log, a grim reminder of the obstacle's quiet lethality.

One would think that the State Marine Board, which decides when obstructions should be moved on state waterways, would have imme- diately gone to work after last year's fatality. But the log remained in place thanks to a maddening technicality: State rules call for removal only when logs completely block rivers. Partial blockages such as the McKenzie snag are typically are left in place, and the burden falls on boaters to remain vigilant and avoid accidents.

These rules should be revised in the wake of Wyser-Pratte's death. Local marine patrol officers should be given authority and resources to remove obstacles that pose a serious threat to boaters.

Paul Vitus, a marine patrol officer with the Lane County Sheriff's Office, took a chain saw to the state's red tape Tuesday. With the help of search and rescue coordinator John Miller and other deputies, Mohawk Fire Department volunteers, Spring- field contractor Keith Bedortha and his donation of the use of a 17,000-pound track hoe, and riverfront property owners Damon Rapozo and Bill Rozar, Vitus removed the obstacle after five hours of arduous and sometimes risky work.

Vitus and his crew deserve a standing community ovation for taking decisive action to save future lives. State officials should ensure that local officials have the clear authority to remove future death traps from rivers throughout the state.