Kent residents speak up on Waramaug wakesurfing issue

KENT — A Tuesday, June 17, public hearing to discuss banning wakesurfing on Lake Waramaug was held with relative civility compared to other recent meetings on the topic.

The proposed ordinance would prohibit all wakesurfing on the lake, as well as the use of any technologies on wake boats that are used to enlarge the wave. The ordinance calls for a $250 fine per infraction.

The boats themselves are not banned in the ordinance’s language, only the activity.

Breaking with the more split opinion demonstrated in previous public debates, Kent residents spoke largely in favor of the proposed ordinance, citing what they saw as risks to public safety and the lake’s ecology resulting from the sport.

The ordinance in question was drafted over the course of two years by the Lake Waramaug Authority and finally passed at a June 6 meeting. After the initial meeting adjourned with no opportunity for public comment, several citizens grew angry and accused the Authority of operating un-democratically in producing its proposed ordinance.

On June 17, the first two speakers, Kent residents John Amster and Amie McKay, spoke out against the proposed ordinance, suggesting that the issue be left to the state to delegate so it could perform its own research.

Amster doubted the validity of a town-commissioned study conducted by environmental consulting firm Terra Vigilis, alleging that the data from that survey was narrow in scope and didn’t adequately address the impact of wakesurfing on water quality and public safety. “It can’t possibly be the big risk everyone is making it out to be,” he said, claiming that he sees very little wakesurfing actually occurring on the lake.

McKay noted that the study didn’t actually suggest a ban, but rather recommended implementing strict depth and distance regulations when using a wake boat in surf mode.

After those testimonials, however, the remainder of the public commentary swayed largely in support of the ordinance.

Kevin Brady, a longtime member of the Lake Waramaug Association, a 110-year old stewardship organization, said that there can’t be compromise regarding the sport because it presents a “serious hazard to other lake users.” He estimated that there are approximately 40 wake boats on the lake at present.

Lakefront-homeowner Christopher Spring, another member of the Association, alleged that his family has limited use of their dock due to safety concerns from large wakes. “We don’t go on our dock on the weekends anymore because it’s just too darn dangerous frankly,” he said.

Several longtime lake-users recalled a decades-long period of poor water quality in the 1970s and 1980s and expressed the importance of keeping the lake’s ecology healthy. “I have seen the lake at its very best as a kid,” said Jim Hicks, who spoke several times throughout the meeting. “I have also seen the lake at its worst.”

Kent is the first of the three towns in the Interlocal Commission – a coalition of the first selectmen of Kent, Warren and Washington that governs the Lake – to hold a hearing on the issue. For the ordinance to be passed, it will have to pass a vote in each town.

Kent residents will vote on the proposed ban in-person only at a 7 p.m. town meeting Friday, June 27.