GREEN LAKE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The deepest natural inland lake in Wisconsin is the latest to take up the issue of wake boating.
A wake boating advisory has been issued by the municipalities that surround Green Lake.
Wake boats have special tanks allowing them to create larger wakes than other boats. The advisory asks wake boaters to operate in wake mode in a minimum depth of 40 feet of water and stay at least 700 feet from shore.
According to the DNR, Green Lake has a maximum depth of roughly 236 feet.
The recommended area is outlined on a map from the Green Lake Association. This leaves 60% of the lake available for wake surfing.
The advisory comes following a recent study by the University of Minnesota, which looked at how wake surfing can kick up lake sediment, erode shorelines and potentially transport invasive species.
Mike Arrowood with Walleyes for Tomorrow, a group that was part of the discussion to create the advisory, says one concern they have with wake boating is safety.
“Take example, if you have somebody that is water skiing, and they hit one of these enhanced wakes, at say, a 45 degree angle, it can be dangerous,” said Arrowood.
The advisory is something that’s encouraging for Gary and Marsha Krahn, who use their fishing boat frequently on Green Lake.
“That would be wonderful. It’s gonna be really hard to judge 700 feet. That’s gonna be tough to judge,” said Gary Krahn. “I would just say if they were just traveling down the middle of the lake. The lake’s three miles wide.”
“Just using common sense. Green Lake is a deep lake so if you stay down the middle it’s gonna be more than 40 feet,” said Marsha Krahn.
Municipalities aren’t looking to ban wake boats altogether, but rather designate the best spots for wake surfing.
Beth Bosveld, a Green Lake business owner and wake boater herself, says she’s in support of having guidelines.
“As a wake surf family, we know that when you are wake surfing, you want to be in the center of the lake where the deep water is, so really these guidelines don’t affect us in a negative way because that’s where we want to be,” said Bosveld.
Bosveld says they should be able to utilize the lake just as much as other boaters.
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