U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Says Camper on Ohio River Sandbar in Evansville Has to Go
Just over a week after it mysteriously popped up on the sandbar along the Evansville riverfront, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) says it needs to be removed.
Since first being noticed by a boater on July 20th just a day or two after the Corps of Engineers completed their annual dredging of the river, the camper has been the talk of the Tri-State with many boaters around the area making their way to the sandbar to get an up-close view of the RV. It's also spawned a number of local memes and jokes, including one where someone photoshopped a Dollar General store next to the camper to play on the joke that if there's empty property somewhere, Dollar General will build a store on it.
But, it sounds like the fun is coming to an end. According to our media partners at Eyewitness News, the Corps of Engineers issued a notice saying the camper is a "violation of federal law" that "prohibits the placing of any structure in, under, or over navigable waters of the United States without a permit."
Earlier in the week, Eyewitness News reported spoke to a representative with the USACE who confirmed the department was investigating the camper to determine if it violated Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 which they said gives the Corps the authority to regulate structures any structures that could affect the "course, condition, or capacity of any port, harbor, or channel." The purpose of the annual dredge by the Corps is to ensure the river is deep enough for barge traffic to move through freely.
Truth be told, the camper was going to be moved eventually, either by whoever put it there or by the river itself which, according to the National Weather Service's Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service, is expected to crest at 23.2 feet on Monday (August 1st) which will more than likely cover the entire sandbar.
However it gets moved, it was fun while it lasted, wasn't it?
[Source: Eyewitness News / NWS Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service]