Lakes across Connecticut could see more wake surfing this summer. That’s if state lawmakers move ahead with new regulations that would allow the popular, but sometimes controversial, watersport to take place on most Connecticut lakes.
Wake surfing involves a motorboat that creates waves three to four feet high with surfers riding waves on the back of the boat.
It’s a sport that has grown increasingly popular in recent years. But environmental advocates say the waves are responsible for shoreline erosion, damage to docks and seawalls and hazards to nearby boaters and swimmers, according to a new draft study by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) released on March 3.
“There's definitely documented serious environmental impacts, especially for Connecticut's lakes and rivers,” said Alicea Charamut, executive director of The Rivers Alliance of Connecticut.
“Connecticut's lakes are small, shallow and environmentally fragile and we're investing a lot of money into trying to deal with water quality issues,” she said.
“Inadequate standards can completely undermine that.”
What’s in the proposal?
The current proposal would allow wake surfing to take place within 200 feet of the shoreline on most Connecticut lakes, with some exceptions. A wake surfing ban on Lake Waramaug in western Connecticut, passed last year, would stay in place.
Additionally, towns and cities across the state would maintain the right to increase the recommended 200-foot distance away from the shoreline. Towns would also have the option to ban wake surfing altogether on their lakes through local ordinances.
The proposal could create a “patchwork of town-by-town bans,” said Keith Angell, president of Lake Waramaug for Common Sense Regulation, a group that supports wake surfing.
“Sadly, this patchwork approach is really the flaw in the legislation,” Angell said. “We're hoping they just rework the bill, take that out, implement statewide [regulations] and we all go about our business.”
Those against wake surfing are also unhappy with the proposal.
“It's an ugly bill. It's hard to know what to do with it. Support it, overturn it,” said Kelly Williams, co-chair of Protect Lake Waramaug, a group that worked to get wake surfing banned on Lake Waramaug.
“We're not expecting that it's going to pass the way it looks now,” Williams said.
Wake surfing restrictions in other states
Wake surfing is restricted in 10 other states, according to DEEP. Each state has its own set of rules. Alabama restricts wake surfing within 100 to 200 feet of any shoreline, dock, pier or boathouse while Vermont restricts wake surfing within 500 feet of the shore.
Additionally, some states have depth requirements. Maine prohibits wake surfing in areas with less than 15 feet of water while in Vermont, it’s 20 feet.
Two states - Vermont and Tennessee - have acreage requirements, prohibiting wake surfing from taking place on water bodies less than 50 acres in size.
Áine Pennello is a Report for America corps member, covering the environment and climate change for Connecticut Public
