The science about the dangers of wake surfing to lakes like Lake Waramaug is:
· plentiful,
· widely accepted by independent academics and policy makers and
· undisputed
Two studies by the University of Minnesota, the latest released in just the past several weeks, are especially well-regarded and both bolster all of the findings of the Terra Vigilis on Lake Waramaug. The 2025 University of Minnesota study has received national attention, demonstrating that wake boats in wake surfing mode disturb the lake bottom, resuspend sediment and are unhealthy for fish and aquatic life. Wake surfing is only safe in much larger, deeper lakes than Waramaug.
Here is a list of important recent, independent science including surveys of scientific findings.
Thank you to Ray Furse, a Board member at NWCD, for this wonderful summary of some of the available research on the environmental impact of wake surfing.
To Begin: Of course, there are two (or more!) sides to every issue, and for the non-scientists, one recourse is look at the cmparative preponderance of the evidence and consider the sources. On the one hand we have numerous studies attesting to the damaging effects of wake-surfing (see list below), with one study proposed by the wake-boat crowd standing in opposition: https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=116094
The first thing one might note is the poor reputation of “Scientific Research Publishing (SCIRP), publisher of the cited “Journal of Water Resources and Protection,” which is described as “a predatory academic publisher of open-access electronic journals, conference proceedings, and scientific anthologies that are of questionable quality.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_Research_Publishing
Basically, SCIRP makes a profit ($99 per paper), for nominally peer-reviewing submitted papers before posting. They are unlikely to be carefully scrutinized, and consequently JWRP is not indexed by top-tier platforms like Web of Scienceor Scopus. Even then, the article does not deny that wake-surfing is damaging, only that a 200-foot buffer zone is sufficient to mitigate the impact.
The preponderance of studies indicates that the damage is severe at deeper depths and greater distances. The Terra Vigilis study, jointly commissioned by the three towns, cites damage down to 26 feet and buffer of at least 500 feet needed to prevent shoreline erosion.
Scientific Studies & Technical Reports About the Effects of Wake Surfing
First, the Terra Vigilis study and what the Lake Waramaug Conservancy (formerly the Lake Waramaug Task Force) says about it:
1. December 2024 Wave Impact Study by Terra Vigilis: From the Task Force: “After careful evaluation, we identified Terra Vigilis as the best partner for this work. Ultimately, the towns of Washington, Warren, and Kent decided to contract Terra Vigilis directly through the Lake Waramaug Interlocal Commission. Their full report was released on December 16, 2024 Terra Vigilis Group – Lake Waramaug Wave Impact Study (Nov 2024)
Found sediment disturbance down to 26 ft, with 110% spike in total phosphorus right after surf‑mode operation—no similar effect from water‑ski boats.” Link here: PMC+15Last Wilderness Alliance+15Reddit+15
2. Shoreline Wave Study 2024. From the Task Force: “Since Lake Waramaug is primarily fed by Sucker Brook, we expend considerable resources on monitoring and remediating the brook’s watershed and streambed. As Terra Vigilis was conducting an in-lake study for the three towns, the Task Force further engaged Terra Vigilis to investigate the impact of large waves on the Sucker Brook delta. The findings from that study are available here.” We note that this report demonstrates that wake surf waves hitting the shore raise phosphate levels in the water.
View a video explaining the unique technology employed to perform these studies here.
3. Read Terra Vigilis’ 2024 Community Survey here. We note there are 60 comments by community residents with safety concerns.
Independent Research and Surveys from Around the Country (a partial list):
1. University of Minnesota St. Anthony Falls (Feb 2022)
Compared wake‑surf and non‑surf boats: surf wakes needed 600 ft to attenuate to energies of planing boats at 200 ft—prop wash significantly disturbs the lake bottom. Last Wilderness Alliance+1Last Wilderness Alliance+1
2. Laval University (2015)
Wake surfing can stir up sediment to 16 ft deep, releasing phosphorus and risking cyanobacteria blooms. Recommends at least 300 m (~980 ft) distance from shore. Last Wilderness Alliance+1Last Wilderness Alliance+1
3. Michigan DNR Report (Sept 2022)
Measured impacts of wake boats disturbing sediment 15 ft deep; advises minimum 500 ft from shore and 15 ft water depth, plus fully drained ballast tanks. Reddit+11Last Wilderness Alliance+11GreenLakeAssociation+11
4. Australian Maritime College – Macfarlane (2025)
Determined surf-mode wakes require >500 ft buffer to attenuate; documented strong scouring effect on lake beds once waves reach 10 ft depth. Last Wilderness Alliance+1wwcoalition.org+1
5. Payette Lake, Idaho (Ray, 2020)
Field data & modeling: sediment disturbed and phosphorus resuspended in water up to 33 ft deep. Last Wilderness Alliance+1Last Wilderness Alliance+1
6. Wisconsin “GreenFire” Lit Review (May 2024) – Comprehensive summary of multiple studies, including those above, outlining common sediment resuspension, shoreline erosion, and aquatic habitat disruptions. Reddit+9Last Wilderness Alliance+9wwcoalition.org+9
7. Michigan DNR Fisheries Report 37 – Boating (including wake boats) can erode shorelines, resuspend sediments up to 33 ft, and produce waves 1.7–17× more energetic than typical powerboats; wakes may travel 400–1,023 ft before dissipating. Reddit+12Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership+12Last Wilderness Alliance+12
8. University of Waterloo (May 2025) – Found boat wakes can account for up to 90% of total wave energy in small lakes (<5 km wide), eroding shorelines, disturbing sediments & vegetation, lowering water clarity and spawning algae blooms. University of Waterloo+1Phys.org+1