| OSMB News |
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| Date: Thursday, May 24, 2007 |
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Boat Wakes Continue Making Waves on Willamette
For Immediate Release
The Willamette River between Newberg and Oregon City looks much the same now as it did a decade ago. The water hasn’t changed much, the trees still grow lush in many areas, and boaters still ply the water on a daily basis.
But this is where things have changed quite a bit. According to residents who live along the river, more boaters spend more time recreating here than in the past. And it’s not the boaters that people mind – it’s the wakes that drive them to the brink.
“I have nothing against boats – I own several myself,” says Don Curtin, a waterfront property owner and member of the Oregon State Marine Board’s Wake Working Group. “However, I do have a concern that the concentration of wakeboard boats on this section of the river is damaging many things – docks, boats, riparian areas. It makes it hard for anyone else to enjoy the water.”
In recent years, the section of water between Newberg and Oregon City Falls, called the “Newberg Pool,” has become a hot spot for wakeboarders. Each year, more wakeboard boats crowd into the long stretches of flat water. And, each year, wakeboard boats get a little larger and a little heavier so they can make larger wakes. It’s those large wakes that the boarders love and shoreside residents, anglers and even other boaters have come to hate. Indeed, some residents are so frustrated they are actively seeking restrictions on boat operation.
“I bought my waterfront property specifically because I wanted to wakeboard right out of my back yard,” says KC McCommas, a wakeboarder who is also a member of the wake working group. “I would hate to see any restrictions on wakeboard boats. Boats have been on the river for a long time – before any of us were living here. From my perspective, this is what it’s all about.”
In the Newberg pool the primary issue is wakeboard boats. Below Willamette Falls, it’s yachts. Most operate with care, but a few operators “don’t seem to care at all what their wake does to docks, other boats or even swimmers,” says another waterfront homeowner and wake-group member, Scott Andersen. “I don’t want boats off the water; I just want them to watch their wake.”
While Curtin, Andersen and McCommas represent different sides of the issue, they agree on one thing. If wakeboarders and yacht operators learn to manage their wakes and “play away” from congested, developed areas, everyone will be happier and the threat of restrictions will fade.
Can this be done? “I don’t know, but we’re giving it our best shot,” says Randy Henry, Policy & Planning Analyst for the Oregon State Marine Board. Henry was tasked with organizing the work group in 2005 in an effort to use existing regulations and outreach to resolve the problems caused by large wakes.
“This year we are trying to reach each and every wakeboarder in Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Marion and Yamhill counties to explain the issue,” said Henry. We’re talking to all owners of boats 30-feet plus in Multnomah, Columbia and Clackamas counties, too. “If things don’t improve, we may be looking at restrictions. It’s just that simple.”
What would the restrictions look like? “We’ve had people propose everything from ‘no wake-enhancing devices’ or ‘no towed devices’ on certain stretches of the river, to “low wake zones” as was proposed in 2005.
“We aren’t considering any rules at this time,” said Henry. “But if things continue to progress this summer and we just can’t change the behavior, I have to go back to the Board in October and recommend another solution. It would be far simpler – and less controversial– to have people recognize their wakes as something they are responsible for and reduce the conflict they cause.”
Part of Henry’s message to boaters this year is the cost of enforcement. “We are organizing several saturation patrols in key areas on what we’d expect to be the busiest weekends. If we see wakes that are clearly damaging or unsafe, we will cite people for Unsafe Operation, which carries a maximum fine of $499.
“Boaters need to watch their wake far behind the boat, as it strikes docks, other boats and the shoreline,” says Doug Walker of the Columbia River Yachting Association and member of the wake work group. “That’s where the damage occurs and we all need to be responsible and not cause damage to persons and property. It’s the law.”
Noise is another problem with today’s expensive and powerful boats. “We don’t get many complaints about motor noise – it’s the 1200 watt stereos blasting music that many people describe as offensive and distasteful. The county Sheriff will be enforcing the Clackamas county noise ordinance this year, so boaters playing loud stereos could also face citations. Boaters would do themselves a huge favor if they would turn the music down, especially in the morning and evenings,” said Henry.
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