Wake boats, which create massive waves that people can surf or ski, have become increasingly common in recent years. Now, a coalition of environmental research and advocacy groups is pushing for municipalities throughout the Adirondacks to limit the way these boats are used.
A range of organizations including the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation, Paul Smith College’s Adirondack Watershed Institute and Protect the Adirondacks have been pushing for more stringent local laws to restrict the use of wake boats on lakes in the Adirondack Park.
Executive Director of the Adirondack Lakes Alliance Scott Ireland led a presentation Wednesday, outlining the group’s findings and proposed legislation.
“It is one of the fastest growing segments of recreational boating. The numbers we’ve seen is it’s growing by about 20% a year. It’s important that wake boats are not boats that generate wakes, every boat does. But they are designed to create an enhanced surfable or skiable wake behind the boat,” said Ireland.
Wake boats use massive ballasts filled with additional water in combination with relatively slower speeds to create large waves. The group says some research suggests the energy created by these boats can increase the rate of shore erosion.
The advocates say at shallower depths wake boats also run the risk of stirring up soil in lake beds.
“One of the big concerns is stirring up nutrients that are sitting in the bottom sediment. By doing so, you’re increasing this phosphorus nutrient into the water column which, given that we’ve had some warm summers and low drought conditions over the last couple of years, this increases the opportunity for harmful algal blooms to form,” said Ireland.
Wake boats also pose a risk to loons, a protected bird species found throughout the park, and their nests. While loon populations have been on the rise, the biggest threat to their population is nest floods, which wake boats could exacerbate.
Boats are required to be cleaned prior to entering many lakes in the Adirondacks to prevent the spread of invasive species. Sarah Kelly, a research scientist with the Paul Smith College’s Adirondack Watershed Institute, says it’s nearly impossible to completely wash a wake boat’s ballasts.
“Most decontamination stations within the Adirondack Park don’t have a water supply that is on demand. So, they are using water storage tanks and those have a limited volume. Basically, what our decontamination stewardship program leader has told us is that you could essentially decontaminate one wake boat or several motor boats,” said Kelly.
In 2024, Vermont adopted wake boat regulations that limited use to areas 500 feet from shore and to places at least 20 feet deep on lakes that are at least 50 acres.
Laura Dlugolecki is with Vermont’s Department of Environmental Conservation. She says the department is already looking to expand those regulations.
“We’re proposing a 500-foot offset between wake spots and other users, so 500 feet between generating that large wave and other users. The existing default safety offset in Vermont is 200 feet so we think the 500 feet is appropriate for wake sports. We also want to include a 500-foot offset from active loon nesting sites. In Vermont there’s already a rule you have to be 300 feet,” said Dlugolecki.
As is, the New York coalition is not pushing for state-wide regulations. Rather, they have created a model town ordinance that would limit the use of wake boats to parts of lakes that are at least 1,000 feet from shore and 30 feet deep on lakes that are larger than 60 acres.
