Local & National Groups on Wake Surfing
The Lake Waramaug Authority is the Connecticut State chartered authority responsible on behalf of Washington, Warren and Kent for regulating boating and other activities on Lake Waramaug to ensure the public safety as well as the preservation of the lake. The Authority has 9 members, 3 from each town. The Authority members have voted unanimously to support an ordinance prohibiting wake surfing and the creation of artificially enhanced wakes on Lake Waramaug.
The Lake Waramaug Task Force is a non-profit organization formed over 50 years ago to restore and preserve the Lake. The Task Force has worked diligently and spent over $12 million since its inception in the 1970s to rescue Lake Waramaug from what was certain environmental ruin due to natural and human causes. Regarding wake surfing, the Task Force has said on its web site that it “endorses the scientific findings of [the Terra Vigilis reports], but leaves it to the towns to decide how to balance recreational interests and ecological concerns.” (emphasis added)
According to the Task Force, the Terra Vigilis reports concluded that “powerful waves impacting the shore and strong propeller downwash can cause harm to the lake. Powerful waves erode the shoreline and shallows, while propeller downwash scours the lakebed, reducing water clarity and releasing harmful nutrients normally trapped in sediment. These effects are particularly severe in shallow areas like the Sucker Brook delta, where wave energy is dissipated by “scrubbing” the bottom. Preventing erosion and minimizing nutrient release are core goals of the Task Force, as erosion reduces water clarity, and nutrient release increases the risk of toxic algae blooms. The Terra Vigilis findings are consistent with multiple other studies." (emphasis added)
On over 300 lakes, communities across the country have banned wake surfing because of the immediate and potential risks of enhanced wakes on the health of the lakes and the people who use them for recreation. Regulations have been passed in OR, SC, MN, WI and VT.
