Illia Dunes reopened after weeklong closure

The Illia Dunes beach and adjacent shallow waters on the Snake River were reopened Monday after cleanup was completed.

The popular area near Lower Granite Dam was closed for public use Sept. 7 after an unexpected crowd of about 1,800 people a day earlier left trash and human waste.

The Army Corps received several offers of volunteer cleanup assistance and coordinated cleanup with two groups of volunteers, the Associated Students of Washington State University and WSU's Center for Civic Engagement.

The Corps continues to review the incident and consider management policies to prevent future problems.

This story was originally published September 15, 2014 at 10:32 PM with the headline "Illia Dunes reopened after weeklong closure ."