Slow no wake bill awaits Governor's signature to become law

Released 3/27/2009.

Contact Tami Jackson (608) 661-4313, lakeinfo@wisconsinlakes.org) www.wisconsinlakes.org

Yesterday the Assembly passed a bill (SB 12) that would establish a statewide slow-no-wake zone for motorboats within 100 feet of a lake’s shoreline. The Senate passed the bill earlier this month.

This bill is a positive step forward to preserve water quality, protect sensitive shorelines, and improve public safety for citizens who are fishing, swimming, and paddling on our shorelines.

The Wisconsin Association of Lakes has been working to advance a statewide slow-no-wake bill for several years, and would like to thank Sen. Robert Jauch and Rep. Gary Sherman for his leadership on this important bill.

Boating too close to shorelines can contribute to shoreline erosion problems, reduce water clarity by stirring up lake bed sediments, release phosphorus—the nutrient responsible for algae blooms—from lake bed sediments, and harm fish habitat when propellers uproot shore land plants.

State boating regulations require slow no wake speeds on lakes that are less than 50 acres. The Wisconsin Association of Lakes is pleased that the same protections are being extended to all lakes in the state.

This bill balances different local recreational uses with natural resource needs by enabling extension or reduction of slow no wake zones through local boating ordinances. Some lakes may want a slow no wake zone greater than 100 feet to protect sensitive features, others may need a slow no wake zone of less than 100 feet for navigation and recreational use. An exemption is also included for water-skiers pick up and drop off zones.

“This bill will not solve the long-term problem of lake water quality,” says Earl Cook, Wisconsin Association of Lakes President. “But a reduction in boat speed in the near shore area is a helpful step in the right direction.”

We look forward to the Governor signing this bill into law.