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A file photo of rafters in the Muskegon River near Grant

(MLive file photo)

NEWAYGO COUNTY, MI -- The Muskegon River has an image problem.

That's how Newaygo County Undersheriff Brian Boyd sees it -- and he's not alone.

"People think about drunks and rowdies," Boyd said as he talked about a new task force intended to reshape the river's image and crack down on illegal behavior.

Authorities for years have been trying to put a damper on problems such as littering, lewdness, indecent exposure and trespassing by river users.

Often, the problem comes with "flotillas' of people on tubes, many drinking alcohol.

"I want people from Grand Rapids to Muskegon to look at the Muskegon River as a destination," Boyd said. "I want it to be a positive image."

The new effort is termed the Muskegon River Multi-Agency Enforcement Task Force, a collaboration between the Newaygo County Sheriff's Department, Department of Natural Resources, state police and Newaygo Police Department.

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The idea is to increase enforcement on the river -- with four law enforcement boats in the water on busy summer days -- and also create a "river watch" system to report problems to police.

Volunteers collected 4,400 cans from the Muskegon River in Newaygo County during a 2013 clean-up

Boyd said the DNR has two boats available, Newaygo Police has one and the Newaygo County Board of Commissioners recently authorized funds for another sheriff's department boat.

"Just being on the river is going to be a huge deterrent," he said.

Police will be coordinating with volunteers, trained as spotters, who can help monitor the river and call for a boat patrol when needed.

The Newaygo County Emergency Services Department is helping organize a team of volunteers.

"It's just more eyes and ears," Boyd said. "We know it's going to be important to engage the community in this effort."

Through the years, enforcement on the river has been difficult because of its length. Generally, tubers and floaters use 40 miles from the Croton Dam to Maple Island Road.

Boyd said he wants the river to be a place where families feel welcome.

"The image of the river has taken years to get to the point where it's at. It's going to take time to get it back to where people look forward to using it on a weekend," he said.

E-mail John Tunison: jtunison@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/johntunison