by Shawn Hagerty • MPA board member
Wake Boats, if used improperly, can have a negative impact on our lake and its wildlife. When operated too close to shore or in shallow water, they churn up sediment and increase shoreline erosion. A proposed bill, known as LD 693, would expand the existing no-wake zone to 500 feet. This bill was reviewed in the State Legislature over the summer, and received overwhelming public support. As a next step, the legislature has set up a task force to study the issue. We are hopeful they will propose an adequate solution in 2024.
If you own a wake boat or know someone who does, please encourage the following behavior:
- Depart from your dock at a no- or low-wake speed, and head toward the middle of the lake perpendicular from the shoreline.
- Enjoy your wake boat in the middle of the lake, at least 500 feet from the shoreline and in water deeper than 20 feet.
- Understand that your large wake can have a significant impact on other boats (whether they are floating free or moored); can stir up bottom sediment, negatively impacting water clarity and quality; and can disturb the shoreline of Moose Pond increasing erosion and negatively impacting wildlife nesting sites.