BOISE, Idaho — A search and rescue is now a recovery operation after a kayaker went missing on the Owyhee River, on Saturday, March 1.
"The remainder of this search will be the rafts floating down with sticks, basically feeling the bottom of the river trying to locate him,” said Malheur County Sheriff Travis Johnson.
Crews are still searching for kayaker Troy Allen Lukens, who was last seen Saturday after he was separated from his kayak in fast-moving waters on the Owyhee River, with murky conditions making the search difficult.
Sheriff Johnson added, “High water flows, water is murky and dirty. There's a lot of debris in the water, and when that water was at 2,300 cubic feet, it's up on the banks. There's a lot of willows and a lot of trees and debris to get hung up on.”
To help with the search, Owyhee Irrigation temporarily lowered water levels.
The river is usually flowing around 2,300 cubic feet per second, but crews managed to lower the water down to 350 cfs, making the search easier for crews. Water levels will rise back to normal by Tuesday.
"We will continue doing shore patrol and monitoring the bank from the road and from the bank as much as we can throughout the week in case that water pushes him out,” said Johnson.
According to the Malheur Sheriff's Office, Lukens wasn't wearing a life jacket, nor did he have the proper paddle.
The sheriff's office emphasizes the importance of water safety.
Johnson added, “This time of year, I wouldn't recommend getting on this water unless you are very experienced. There's just so much danger with all the brush and the debris in the water; it's easy to get hung up.”
Those water levels are going to rise back to normal by Tuesday, making the search more difficult for crews.
