A photo of a wakeboat is held up during a meeting in the Waupaca County town of Farmington March 18, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
(WTAQ-WLUK) – Two Waupaca County towns have scheduled a public hearing for next month on ordinances which could restrict the use of wake boats along the Chain o’ Lakes within their borders.
Wake boats have special ballast tanks to create large water displacements for surfing and tubing, without use of tow rope. However, their use creates concerns about erosion, impacts on other water users, and invasive species.
Dayton had adopted a wake boat ban for Round and Rainbow lakes, but later rescinded it. Since then, it has been in talks with the neighboring town of Farmington to jointly create an ordinance.
Now, a June 19 meeting has been scheduled “to hear testimony on restricting artificial wake enhancements on certain lakes within the Town of Dayton and the Town of Farmington. The hearing will be for the purpose of giving an opportunity for any person interested, their attorneys or agents, to be heard,” the agenda states.
It will be held at 4:30 p.m. at the Dayton town hall, N2285 State Road 22, Waupaca.
Meanwhile, efforts continue for creation of statewide rules, in the hopes of avoiding patchwork regulations by municipality. A recent survey by the Wisconsin Conservation Congress showed overwhelming support for such action.
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