KENT, Conn.—The Selectmen Wednesday night delayed any decision on a proposed ordinance that would prohibit wake surfing on Lake Waramaug until after they attend a special meeting of the Lake Waramaug Authority on Friday, June 6.
The meeting is to be held in the lower meeting room of the Warren Town Hall, starting at 6:30 p.m.
Lake Waramaug is bordered by three towns—Kent, Washington and Warren—and all three are considering an ordinance to regulate wake surfing on its waters. All three towns must agree to any ordinance crafted.
The issue is a highly emotional one for all Lake Waramaug stakeholders, both those who support regulation of the sport and those who do not. Many fear the effects on the lake of the sport, which requires “wake boats” to produce waves large enough for surfing.
Some residents and environmentalists fear the waves will cause erosion of the shoreline and damage the docks and walls that line the shores. There is also concern that the prop wash will create instability in the stratification of water temperatures, releasing phosphorous and promoting detrimental plant growth.
Historically, Lake Waramaug went through a significant decline in the 1950s and ‘60s, largely due to human recreational use. Since 1975, the Lake Waramaug Task Force has worked with notable success to reverse the eutrophication and restore the lake to its once-pristine condition.
Faced with increasing concerns about the impact of wake boats, the Lake Waramaug Interlocal Commission (LWIC), which was funded by the three towns, contracted Terra Vigilis Environmental Services Group (TVES) to conduct the study. The Terra Vigilis report concluded that the large waves generated by wakeboard boats in surf mode do, indeed, cause harm to the lake, including sediment redistribution and potential nutrient release.
The study has come under criticism by proponents of the sport and some of those parties attended the Kent Selectmen’s hybrid meeting Wednesday night to share their views.
Keith Angell, who owns property on West Shore Road in Washington, said, “The lake’s water quality has improved since 1977 but over the last 10 years that has flatlined. It is not clear that wake boating has had any impact. There is no data on water quality.”
He said the report suggested that wake surfing be confined to the deeper parts of the lake and that a buffer of 500 feet be maintained from the shoreline for wakeboard boats operating in surf mode.
“Terra Vigilis proposed a distance and depth that make sense,” he said. “The entire state of Vermont has proposed a depth of 20 feet and 500-foot buffers.” He suggested that “if you regulate at all” the limits should be set between 15 and 120 feet of depth and 200 to 400 feet from shore.
Others attending urged that town officials look for alternatives to banning the sport. Amie McKay said it is an activity that many families enjoy, adding, “No one is opposed to looking at different ways,” while Norman Dorf of New Preston said an “outright ban is taking away the rights of a lot of people who really enjoy the lake.”
Others were adamantly opposed. Kent’s Wendy Murphy said, “Inevitably, there will be many lakes in Connecticut and New York State that will rule out wake boats. What will rule out [people from other areas] coming to our [launch area]. I think wake boats are noisy and intrusive—they become King of the Mountain when they are on the water—and the scientific evidence is sufficient for me.”
Laura Harris, who has lived on the lake for 40 years, said she can already see the difference in the shoreline, where docks and walls have been repaired as a result of wave damage.
In their own deliberations, the Kent selectmen reflected on a recent tour of the lake on a boat, an excursion that gave them a different perspective.
“One of my strongest take-aways was the sediment and how the prop wash stirs things up,” said Selectman Lynn Mellis Worthington. “That worries me. I don’t want to permit degradation of the work already done. People say the science is not clear, but it seems to me to be clear that it is having an effect.”
First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer agreed that the trip provided perspective. He suggested that the Kent Selectmen meet soon after Friday’s meeting in Warren “to see what we want to do with the recommendation.”
