Residents of Heffley Lake are asking for a first-of-its-kind ban on ballasted wakeboard boats.
Vice president of the Community Association Jim Davies says the lake is not big enough to use wake boats safely, and he says they are causing erosion and other environmental and habitat damage.
“The recreational boats to date, they’ve been designed to plane quickly and create very little wake, no matter what the horsepower is on them. Wakeboard boats, on the other hand, can create a wave four-to-five feet high, which, basically, lakes never see in their natural state.”
The community association is asking for support from the Thompson Nicola Regional District in its application to Transport Canada, the agency that would decide on a proposed ban.
Davies also says the community has gone through an onerous process of gathering scientific data on the damage done to take to Transport Canada.
“Present legislation by Transport Canada does not allow local authorities to specify a particular type of watercraft… Transport Canada would not consider implementing a restriction on that type of watercraft without the scientific documentation.”
Davies also says no homeowners on Heffley Lake own ballasted wakeboard boats, saying only visitors have been using them on the lake.