With proposed wake-enhanced boating bills stalled in the legislature, a group of Wisconsin residents is planning to take a petition directly to the Department of Natural Resources to address a leading concern associated with movement of the recreational vessels between water bodies.
The proposal would attempt to create a “home lake” rule to require wake boats to stay on a single body of water or prove they were properly drained or decontaminated before launching on another.
The reason: to stave off the potential spread of aquatic invasive species in the boat’s ballast tanks.
“It’s a critical issue for the health of our lakes,” said Jim Olson of Madison, point person for the petition. “Right now the state rule is being ignored.”
In 2008 Wisconsin established NR 19.055 in administrative code in an effort to prevent transfer of AIS between water bodies.
The rule states “any person who removes a boat, boat trailer, boating equipment or fishing equipment from any inland or outlying water or its bank or shore shall drain all water” from the boat including in “any bilge, ballast tank or live well” immediately after removing the boat from the water, bank or shore.