On Wednesday, February 15, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will give the public an opportunity to react to their proposed rule on the use of wake boats in Vermont inland lakes, Lake Memphremagog is excluded. The pre rulemaking meeting will be held in Greensboro at the Highland Center for the Arts 2875 Hardwick St, Greensboro, VT 05841, and online via Microsoft Teams. To join the meeting remotely, Click here to join the meeting at the scheduled time or call 802-828-7667 and enter the Conference ID number: 707 701 931#. Note: the call-in option provides audio only. 

DEC’s draft rule would allow wake boats to engage in wake sports on public waters under the following three conditions:

1. On lakes, ponds, and reservoirs with a minimum of 50 contiguous acres that are 500 feet from shore on all sides and 20 feet deep (eligibility rule)
2. Wake boats must be 500 feet from shore at all times while engaging in wake sports (operating rule)
3. A wake boat must stay in one lake per calendar year unless boat is decontaminated by a DEC-approved entity (home lake rule)

There are concerns that the DEC proposal of a 500′ distance from shore requirement for wake boating is not enough to prevent harm to both the environment and other boaters and lakeshore owners. There will be an opportunity for public comment at this meeting; to sign up for a 2-minute time slot to speak, go to https://forms.office.com/g/ayJuuH9923.  

A group called RWVL (Responsible Wakes for VT Lakes) is pushing back on the DEC to consider getting closer to their proposed 1000’ distance from shore requirement.  RWVL is a group of concerned Vermonters, many of whom are year-round and seasonal lake and pond residents. To learn more about the RWVL position, go to http://responsiblewakes.org/ . 

Vermont Business Magazine has additional information on this issue and it can be found here: https://vermontbiz.com/news/2023/january/31/vermont-dec-releases-draft-rule-wake-boat-regulation. 

To learn more about the draft wake boat rule and sign up to provide feedback at the upcoming meeting, either virtually or in person. 

The original wake boat petition and supporting documents are available at the DEC Lakes and Ponds Rulemaking Page. 

List and Mapping of Effected Lakes

This rule will have an effect on all of our lakes. If you have any questions – contact Jennifer Hopkins at 802.334.9131 or at treasurer@mwavt.org.