Lawsuit seeks to allow the activity as recent research reveals intense impacts on shared waters.
Property owners in northwest Wisconsin have filed a lawsuit against the Town of Scott over an ordinance passed last year prohibiting specialized boats that create large wakes for “surfing.” The plaintiffs, who live in Florida and Texas but own property on a lake in the town, say the ordinance was passed without sufficient public input and process.
An attorney for the plaintiffs also said the lawsuit is the first step in an effort to challenge anti-wake boating ordinances across Wisconsin. More than 50 communities in the state have passed ordinances regulating wake surf boats since 2009, according to the Last Wilderness Alliance, a coalition that supports municipalities and residents seeking to regulate the recreational activity. Nineteen new ordinances have already been passed this year.
Wake surfing uses specialized craft with large water tanks that are filled to increase the boat’s weight and create a larger wake. “Surfers” can then ride the wake, not needing to hold a tow rope. As the activity has risen in popularity in recent years, its ecological harm to lakes and the ways it affects other lake users have become prominent problems…