Wake Boating 101
Understanding the environmental impacts of wake boats
What’s different about wake boats?
• They have ballast tanks that can easily transfer aquatic species
• Wake boats effect sediment in shallow water
• Wake boats operate in a ‘bow high’ manner restricting visibility
• Large wakes can impact loon nesting and wildlife
• Wakes can create erosion and structural damage
Wake boat design
• Wake boats are made differently from traditional motorboats
• Big, heavy, deep-v hulls, ballast systems, and specialized hardware
• All to enhance wake creation – up to 5’ in wave height
How ballast tanks work
The ballast tanks are filled and discharged with water to enable certain performance characteristics to enhance wake creation .
• Large ballast tanks pump water in from lake, approximately 600-700 gallons.
• A recent study showed that after emptying tanks, between 10 and 50 gallons remain.
• Most ballast tanks have no access port for decontamination
• If this process is repeated in follow-on lakes, the risk for releasing invasive fragments or larvae is very high.
• E.g. – Lake Champlain has >50 aquatic invasive species, including water chestnut, round goby, hydrilla and spiny waterflea…
What you can do to prevent the spread of invasive species
• Empty your ballast tank in the lake before you leave
• Ideally, use your wake boat in the same lake all the time
• Always clean, drain and dry your boat
Bottom sediment disturbances occur
• Nutrients like phosphorous are stirred up into the upper water column
• Coupled with increased summer water temperatures, this creates the perfect environment for a harmful algal bloom (HAB) to form.
Below the surface
• Wakeboats can stir up sediments in waters shallower than 25 feet
• Underwater native vegetation and habitat disrupted – fish nests
• Decreasing water clarity - sediment resuspension
• Releasing phosphorus trapped in the lakebed
• Nutrient dispersion is linked to an increase in HABs
Acid rain from the 70s and 80s has left mercury and PCBs sequestered in the bottom sediment
How you can protect the lake bottom
• Keep your watercraft at least 1,000 feet from a shoreline
• Operate your boat in water that is at least 30 feet deep
• Launch in a water body that has at least 60 contiguous acres of surface water
The impact on non-motorized boaters and swimmers
• Wake boats operate in a ‘bow high’ manner to generate the surfable wake
• This can restrict visibility of canoes and kayaks, and swimmers
• Swamping of smaller boats and fishermen also possible
Play it safe
• Always be aware of your surroundings and boat traffic
• Ensure that you can see clearly while operating the boat
• Boats should have a minimum of three people when waterskiing, wake surfing or boarding, one serving as lookout
The impact on loon nesting
• Loons can not walk on land very well, so they nest on the shoreline
• Excessive wakes and waves often cause eggs to tumble into the water
What you can do
• Be aware of loon nesting areas
• Stay away from the shore
• Don't be noisy, shut your motor off near the shore
• Keep music volumes to a reasonable level
Shoreline erosion and structural damage occur
• Shorelines erode over time from large wakes
• Damage occurs to vegetation and growth along the shores
• Boats and docks sustain damage from big wakes
Help protect property and shores
• Be an environmentally responsible wake boater
• Stay 1000 ft from the shore
• Respect lake front properties
To learn more watch video webinar
