WASHINGTON, Conn.—Battle lines are forming again over the issue of wake surfing on Lake Waramaug.
Wake surfing, which uses devices to create a surfable wave on one side of the boat, is one of the fastest-growing watersports in the United States. Opinion was deeply divided in the region about the effect that it would have on the environmental health and recreational enjoyment of the lake.
In November, the Lake Waramaug Friends for Common-Sense Regulation, Inc. filed a legal challenge to an ordinance passed overwhelmingly in July in Warren, Washington and Kent, the three towns that border the lake.
The Friends are requesting that the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) reverse its approval of the wake surfing ban in favor of “reasonable statewide regulations.”
First Selectman Eric Epstein told his board Wednesday, Dec. 3, that he had been notified that an opposing group, Protect Lake Waramaug, has filed for intervenor status with DEEP.
Lake Waramaug Friends for Common-Sense Regulation, Inc. represents members of the Lake Waramaug community. The Coalition to Ban Wake Surfing: Protect Lake Waramaug was established by concerned residents of Washington, Kent and Warren, who believe that the lake is too narrow and shallow for the sport of wake surfing.
“This ban was enacted through a deeply flawed process, and we are asking DEEP to reverse the ban and instead implement statewide regulations based on science and common sense,” said Keith Angell, president of the Friends group in a statement. “Lake Waramaug is a public resource featuring a state park that benefits boaters from across the state, and all Connecticut residents should have the right to enjoy it.”
The Friends contend, “It is unfair and unsupported by evidence to single out a safe, family oriented recreational activity for prohibition based on misinformation and unfounded fears.”
For its part, Protect Lake Waramaug argues that if DEEP were to rescind the ordinance, which was approved by more than 78 percent of the voters in the three towns and supported unanimously by the boards of selectmen in Washington, Warren and Kent, the action would negatively impact the environmental health of Lake Waramaug and the safety of the citizens of and visitors to the lake.
It notes that the Friends made the same arguments last summer in an effort to overturn the ordinance before DEEP approved it, but that DEEP dismissed them. DEEP approved the ordinance in October.
It was widely argued that Waramaug, which is long, narrow and relatively shallow, is not suitable for wake boarding. The waves created by surfing were said to be causing damage to the shorelines, decks and to be disrupting the enjoyment of the lake by those undertaking more passive pursuits. Some anglers, kayakers and canoers reported being capsized by the enhanced waves.
Further, it was argued that the biological health of the lake, which has been enhanced through extensive measures undertaken by the Lake Waramaug Task Force and the Lake Waramaug Association, will be undermined by the prop wash roiling the waters and encouraging algae blooms.
The Friends contend that the data used by the task force and association depended on “a fundamentally flawed study” and that the ordinance “should have been summarily disapproved by DEEP because it is arbitrary, unreasonable, unnecessarily restrictive, and will result in uneven application across Connecticut’s waterways.”
The Friends assert that they “proposed common-sense, enforceable restrictions that were dismissed without meaningful consideration” and that the towns “denied voters the opportunity to consider compromise alternatives to the ban and disparaged input from LWF.”
The Friends claim Lake Waramaug’s ordinance is unenforceable because wake-enhancing devices cannot be identified on sight, and non-wake boats can create surfable waves using the weight of passengers. This, they say, will force law enforcement into the dangerous and impractical position of boarding boats to determine compliance.
The ordinance calls for boaters to disable any wake-enhancing devices and to sign a statement that they will not be used on the lake. Fines are defined for non-compliance.
Ninety-nine percent of the people who voted against wake surfing on Lake Waramaug have never set foot on the lake or even stood on its shoreline. Yet somehow they believe they’re qualified to dictate what happens there. Most couldn’t identify the difference between wake surfing and wakeboarding—just like the article that sparked this nonsense. These are entirely different sports, and treating them as the same is flat-out ignorant.
Wakeboarding is no different from water skiing or tubing. Were those activities banned? Of course not. Instead, a misinformed crowd pushed a political narrative about something they clearly do not understand. They don’t even know what they’re banning. Is it the sport? The boat? The prop? The board? The ruling is so vague it borders on meaningless.
Here are basic questions DEEP can’t even answer:
– Can you operate a wake boat if no one is behind it?
– Can someone wakesurf behind a pontoon boat?
– What, exactly, is prohibited?
If the people responsible can’t define what they’re banning, they have no business making the decision in the first place.
This ruling by DEEP is a failure—driven by a loud, uninformed majority and fueled by baseless, unproven propaganda. It’s a bad decision, and it needs to be owned, reversed, and corrected immediately.
The ability to read-the-room is an important common sense. Wake surfing lost 3-1 when Kent, Warren and Washington voters were asked to weigh its cost/benefit for our communities. This issue is already decided in the most un-equivocal fashion possible. The Lake Waramaug Friends for Common-Sense Regulation needs to wake up and read the room.
It is true that the $40,000 study paid for by the towns was irredeemably flawed, but there have been dozens upon dozens of other studies which show that wake surfing increases sediment suspended in the water and reduces visibility. That effect is evident on Lake Waramaug where visibility plateaued 10 years ago after 20 years of steady improvement then began a modest decline during the last 5 years. That small decline may appear inconsequential but when you compare where the improving trend line was headed 10 years ago to where we are now, it’s easy to appreciate how much Lake Waramaug has been impacted and how much we’ve all lost.
First of all, why is The Kent Dispatch using a photo of a powerboat that is not used for wakeboarding to headline this important issue? But more important – The Lake Waramaug Friends for Common-Sense Regulation makes no reference to the environmental impact that such a literally agitating pursuit has upon the aquatic life of the lake, shoreline erosion, safety and respect of other lake users, and the inherent danger of what wake boarders do. We, the people, voted overwhelmingly against wake-boarding and our decision must be respected and upheld. Those who visit and use the lake must respect the environment, water quality, laws, local culture, and general marine safety. Those who wakeboard can trailer their boat and wakeboard elsewhere.
Nina – The lake is a CT resource not just the few towns that voted. So the “we the people” argument isn’t compelling. If the vote was open to all voters in CT this absolutely would not have passed.
Bantam lake is a healthy lake that has non-stop wake surfing on it during the warmer months. It is a equally narrow lake and is not as deep as Waramaug. There are a few special interests around the lake that have decided they wanted a wake surfing ban and succeeded. There are other parties that are now lobbying against that ban and they will be successful. I recommend residents on Lake Waramaug to seek litigation against the parties involved in the ban for loss of enjoyment of their property/lake.