After at least two years of debate over which water sports should be allowed, voters in the towns of Kent, Washington and Warren approved an ordinance to ban wake boat activities on Lake Waramaug at a referendum Thursday.
"I’m glad that the people from all three towns had a chance to review the issues, absorb information from both sides and have exercised their constitutional duty and right to make this decision for this public lake," Kent First Selectman Martin Lindenmayer said Friday.
"I think it’s the right decision for the ecological health of the lake, safety of everyone who uses the lake for recreation and, finally, it’s an appropriate ordinance due to the size and dimensions of Lake Waramaug," he said.
With the approvals in the town referendums, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will now conduct a review of the ordinance and then either approve or disapprove it, Lindenmayer said. DEEP was consulted on the ordinance's language before the three towns sent the ordinance to a vote, he said.
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"I’m assuming if approved, it will take effect 14 days after review by DEEP," Lindenmayer said.
Traveling at 10 mph, wake boats are designed to create 3- to 4-foot high wakes or waves for water sports such as wakeboarding and wakesurfing. In Connecticut, wakeboarders and wakesurfers are regulated as waterskiers.
The towns of Kent, Washington and Warren — all of which border the 656-acre Lake Waramaug in Litchfield County — held referendums on the proposed ordinance for the public to vote from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday at their Town Halls.
The ordinance was drafted by the Lake Waramaug Authority, which oversees the lake’s management. Under the ordinance, individuals would be prohibited from operating a vessel on Lake Waramaug “while employing one or more ballast tanks, weight-loading, hydrofoils, wake shaper or any other device(s) to artificially enhance or increase its wake.”
Each violation would incur a fine of $250.
The ban was approved by residents in each town:
• in Kent, in a vote of 468 to 96;
• in Warren, in a vote of 335 to 139; and
• in Washington, in a vote of 649 to 186.
"I’m pleased it passed with such a large margin," Washington First Selectman Jim Brinton said Friday. "It’s what’s best for the health of the lake and the safety of the people that use it."
The referendum welcomed "a very big turnout - more than we get traditionally," Warren First Selectman Greg LaCava said Friday.
"People came out to be heard and involved, and the outcome reflects the desire to protect our wonderful lake," LaCava said.
All three towns held several meetings and public hearings to discuss the impact of wake boats on Lake Waramaug over the past few years.
Advocates for the ban cited safety and environmental concerns as well as issues with the wakes impact on visitors’ enjoyment of the lake. Those in favor of allowing wake boats on the lake say the ban would limit how visitors can enjoy the lake, and one advocacy group, Lake Waramaug Friends, have suggested the towns create an enhanced-wake activity zone instead of enacting a ban on wake boats.
"We are gratified that the voters in all three towns approved the ordinance, which will protect the lake and its users for years," said Kelly Williams, a Warren resident and co-chair of the Protect Lake Waramaug coalition. "We want to thank the selectmen of all three towns, the Lake Waramaug Authority and all the groups that supported this great community effort."
The Kent Board of Selectmen voted to move the proposed ordinance to a referendum at a July 11 town meeting, while the Washington Board of Selectmen and the Warren Board of Selectmen voted to move the proposed ordinance to a referendum at their respective meetings on July 17.