This commentary is by Ed Wells, who lives in Richmond and at Salem Lake in Derby.
The great limitations of a 200-foot setback for powerful wake boats on lakes and ponds in Vermont prompt me to call attention to research that begs for a different conclusion. Here’s a link to the petition submitted by the citizen group Responsible Wakes for Vermont Lakes, with details on the science supporting setbacks of up to 1,000 feet.
Based on research, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation currently proposes a 500-foot setback on lakes and ponds in water at least 20 feet deep and with 50 contiguous acres. A good start, but many of us believe that strengthening the department’s proposal makes sense, as too many vulnerable lakes (20) remain with only a 500-foot setback.
Fifteen lakes are eligible for wake boat use under a 1,000-foot setback rule in addition to Lakes Champlain and Memphremagog.
Not all lakes are the same. A 1,000-foot setback requirement — in the absence of an outright ban, my first choice on all lakes but for possibly parts of Champlain and Memphremagog — is the best science-supported alternative.
It concerns me that many traditional uses of our lakes and ponds get shut out by a single boat capable of making ocean-like waves. A neighbor at Salem Lake in Derby recently witnessed someone getting knocked off her standup paddleboard by one of these mini tsunamis. The boat operator continued along, seemingly oblivious to what had just happened.
My personal observations and experiences with wake boats operating on Lake Salem over the past four to five years, combined with conversations with fishermen and others, only strengthens a viewpoint that these boats are very different from all other boats on the lake. These boats are also capable of spreading invasive species in their ballast water as well as disturbing lake bottoms, mixing algae-producing minerals in the water.
I am proud that, in my lifelong home of Vermont, we like to settle our differences in a neighborly way. But in this situation, especially where the safety of a large number of people is concerned, communication and education only go so far. Citizens of Vermont saw a need to control the use of personal watercraft (jet skis), for example, so created rules to prevent their use on water bodies under 300 acres.
We take for granted the need to regulate motor vehicles on our highways. It is fair to say that wake boats are the tractor-trailers of our waterways and require special operating conditions.
Please take time to review the Responsible Lakes petition and its justification for a 1,000-foot setback. Look at the current science and the many personal hazardous and unpleasant experiences with wake boats documented there. Many thoughtful and caring people put in over two years’ worth of difficult work in calling attention to this issue.
If a small number of large wake-producing boats (currently 5% of registered motorboats) are allowed to dominate and adversely impact the quality of our waters and the experiences of those who rely on them, we all lose.
Vermont has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enact rules that assist in the preservation of our well-loved lakes and ponds. Please, let’s make the most of it.
