Vermont Now Has The Most Restrictive Wake Boat Rule In The Nation
Vermont’s new “most restrictive statewide rule in the nation” for wake boats passed its final legislative hurdle on February 15, 2024 and took effect on April 15, 2024. This new rule is intended to protect our lakes’ water quality and reduce safety risks by confining wake sports to wake sport zones defined by a 500’ shore buffer and a depth of more than 20’. Seymour Lake will be one of 30 Vermont inland lakes (out of Vermont’s 800+ lakes and ponds) where wake boats will be allowed. In the Kingdom, other affected lakes include Echo, Willoughby, Holland Pond, Salem, Shadow, Caspian, Miles Pond, Island Pond, and both Great and Little Averill.
Wake boats will be allowed to operate in wake boat mode (500’ from shore) on much of Seymour, except for the south eastern corners. SLA representatives who participated weekly and often daily for two years in the promulgation of this rule, originally proposed the idea of the “home lake rule,” which formally became part of the rule and now requires that a wake boat owner choose only one lake for an entire calendar year. This matters because wake boats are unable to fully empty their ballasts, and there was concern that wake boats from another lake infested with one or more invasive species could infect a pristine lake like Seymour. Seymour and other lakes are waiting for the Agency of Natural Resources to fully implement this “home lake rule” provision.□
To see more on this rule, you can go to : https://dec.vermont.gov/watershed/lakes-ponds/vermont-use-public-waters-rules/wakeboats