Falsehoods by So-Called Lake Waramaug “Friends” Group . . . and then the Facts

Falsehood: A 200 foot buffer from the shore, as proposed by the “Friends,” will protect the Lake and others on the Lake.

Fact: There is absolutely no support in science or experience for a 200 foot buffer. It is a random number conveniently adopted and promoted by the wake surf boat industry because it fits its agenda of selling more wake boats and it is hardly an inconvenience for wake surfers. Watch this video about the 200 foot lie.

Falsehood: “Lake Waramaug Task Force states that water quality has never been better than last 10 years!”  (Friends Submission to Kent Board of Selectmen Boat Tour, 6/2/25) (No citation of support)

Fact:  “When examined on a year-by-year basis, average clarity slightly decreased from 2015 to 2024, and decreased more sharply from 2020 to 2024.”  (Important Updates from the LWTF, 3/28/25, “Water Quality Trends”)

Falsehood: “[Friends] have proposed sensible, common-sense guidelines . . . that include 20’ depth [and] 200’ offshore . . . ” (Id.)

Fact: The supposed “common-sense” guidelines a) do not address the proven environmental harms; b) do not address the proven safety risks; and c) allocate most of the Lake for wake surfing while segregating all other Lake users (swimmers, kayakers, canoers, fishermen, sailors, other boaters) to a 200 foot perimeter strip around the Lake.

Falsehood:  Wake boats in surf mode create the same kind of large waves as other speedboats but go slower.

Fact: The technology of wake boats operated in surf mode is fundamentally different from all other motor boats, irrespective of speed. They create enormous downwash that stirs up dangerous pollutants from the bottom of the Lake that foster algae blooms destroy the ecology of the lake.

Falsehood: Wake surfing on Lake Waramaug is isolated and de minimus.  

Fact: There are over 40 wake boats on the Lake (growing all the time) and over 65 Lake residents that wake surf.  On any nice summer weekend day, wake surfing is everywhere on the Lake.  Believe your own eyes!

Falsehood:  “What will they come for next?”

Fact: The proposed prohibition is about wake surfing and wake surfing only. It has nothing to do with fishing or speed boating or water skiing or tubing.  This is a scare tactic when you have no facts or science on your side!

Falsehood: “Preserving Nature Together” is the Friend’s slogan.

Fact: The Friends are not trying to “preserve” the lake, but instead use it for their own fun. The irrefutable science dispels any argument that wake surfing is compatible with the long term health of the lake. Review the science now.

Falsehood:  A ban on wake surfing is “government overreach.”

Fact: We, too, don’t want government in our private lives.  But Lake Waramaug is not private property belonging to wake surfers; it is a public resource that belongs to all of us. Prohibiting wake surfing is necessary to protect our Lake from ecological harm and our Lake users from being hurt by artificially enhanced waves. Hardly “government overreach.” Furthermore, the ordinance to prohibit wake surfing is being voted on by the public in each town, and not being imposed by an executive or legislative body. Again, hardly “big government”.

Falsehood:  A prohibition on wake surfing would “infringe” on “recreational rights”

Fact: There is no “right” to wake surf, any more than there is a “right” to land a plane on the Lake or drive 80 miles an hour around the Lake.  This is a shared resource, which requires respect for others and for the Lake itself.

Falsehood:  A prohibition on wake surfing would harm property values around the Lake.

Fact: There is no such evidence. To the contrary, it is self-evident that if Lake Waramaug ceases to have the ecological health and clarity the community has spent millions creating, home values will tank.  Ask any broker. 

Falsehood:  A prohibition on wake surfing will trigger “a protracted legal battle.”

Fact: The “Friends” are the only ones threatening litigation rather than letting you, the voters, decide this issue.  Legal bullying by a well-heeled minority should not decide how our Lake is used.  Let the voters decide this issue and then respect their decision.  

Falsehood:  “Terra Vigilis did not recommend a ban.”

Fact: Terra Vigils recommended that wake surfing only be permitted at depths of 26 feet or greater, at a minimum of 500 feet from the shore, from other boats, and from other sensitive areas. Because Lake Waramaug is small, narrow and shallow, the recommendation is tantamount to a ban on wake surfing.

Falsehood:  Wake surfing is safer than many other water sports.

Fact: Only for the wake surfers, not for everyone else on the Lake! The board safety dangers of wake surfing are documented in the report of the “Friends” own expert, Water Environmental Consultants, who found that wake surfing “increase[s] the risk of injury or fatal accidents . . . through multiple mechanisms . . . ”  (WEC 1/20/2021 Report on Lakes Rabun & Burton)

Falsehood:  “This is an organized multi-town effort by overreaching government officials to take your right to appease a few fanatics who want to turn Lake Waramaug into Walden Pond.”  (Keith Angel email to “Lake Waramaug Friends, 6/4/25)

Fact: Nine Selectmen, three from each Warren, Kent and Washington, voted unanimously to send the proposed ordinance prohibiting wake surfing to the voters. The Lake Waramaug Authority, comprised of nine members, three from each town, voted 9-0 to do the same. The Kent Conservation Commission voted 5-0 to support the proposed ordinance. The Lake Waramaug Task Force, largely responsible for cleaning up the Lake for decades, endorsed the scientific findings of Terra Vigilis.  Over 60 Lake users in an independent survey complained about the harms and dangers of wake surfing. Who are the fanatics here?