Beneath the Surface: Understanding the Environmental Impact of Wakesurfing on Our Lakes

Northwest Connecticut is home to many freshwater resources, prized for their recreational and ecological value in our region. Our lakes and ponds offer opportunities for swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, picnicking, and wildlife watching. They also provide critical habitats for diverse wildlife, regulate water flow, filter pollutants, recharge groundwater, and more.

Recreational and ecological interests can go hand-in-hand — responsible recreational activity can protect the health and water quality of the waterbody, in turn preserving a lake’s recreational appeal. Therefore, it is important to understand the impacts that different recreational activities can have on our lakes.

Wakesurfing is a water sport where riders surf a continuous, large wake without needing to be pulled constantly by a rope attached to the boat (as is needed for waterskiing). Traditional recreational boats, such as bowriders or ski boats, are generally designed to “plane” — to rise up and glide on top of the water to minimize drag and maximize speed. In contrast, wakeboats are engineered to be able to do the exact opposite: They are designed to displace as much water as possible in order to create a wave for the surfer.

To get a sufficient wake, wake surfers rely on specialized wakeboats that can employ one or more ballast tanks, weight-loading, hydrofoils, or wake shapers to artificially enhance or increase their wake. These atypical waves are far greater in height and energy than those produced during traditional recreational boating, and while thrilling for the athlete, these unnatural waves can lead to unique environmental considerations when used in shallow or confined waters.

Independent research in multiple states (such as Vermont, Wisconsin, and Minnesota) has documented several key areas of concern, including shoreline erosion, sediment resuspension, and damage to aquatic vegetation and habitat. These effects can degrade water quality, reduce habitat for fish and wildlife, and contribute to nutrient loading that fuels harmful cyanobacterial blooms.

When used for wakesurfing, wakeboats create waves that carry significantly more energy than standard boats, travelling much farther before losing power. When they hit the shoreline, they can undercut banks and uproot native vegetation.

Beneath the surface, wakeboats use “propeller downwash” to help push the stern down. While a standard boat might only disturb the lake bottom in very shallow water, wakeboats can churn up lake-bottom sediments at greater depths. This churning releases nutrients trapped in the lake-bottom sediments that can contribute to toxic cyanobacteria blooms, which degrade water clarity and can be harmful to pets and humans.

As stated above, wakeboats use internal ballast tanks to gain weight. Unlike a simple bilge pump, these tanks can be difficult to drain completely. Even a small amount of residual water can transport microscopic juvenile zebra mussels or fragments of hydrilla — an invasive aquatic plant currently threatening all waterbodies in Connecticut — from one waterbody to another.

The health of our lakes depends on a shared understanding of how different vessels interact with the environment, and because every lake is unique, a minimal one-size-fits-all solution is not scientifically ideal.
Lakes vary widely — from their size, shape, and depth, to their chemistry, temperature, history, age, geology, watershed, and more. The variation in these factors greatly impacts the potential effect wakesurfing could have on any given waterbody.

As such, different lakes have adopted different regulations. For example, Vermont limits wakesurfing to designated zones in only its largest lakes (the zones that must be at least 200’ wide and 60 contiguous acres, and at least 500’ from shore, with depths of 20’ or more). Wisconsin has over 75 local ordinances banning wake surfing. Locally, Lake Waramaug has recently banned wakesurfing entirely as well.

The ecological health of our lakes, rivers, and ponds is crucial to sustaining recreation, tourism, property values, and human health. As we look toward another summer season, the goal is not to shame or eliminate fun on the water, but to ensure that our recreational choices don’t come at the long-term expense of our waterbodies.
By staying informed about the science of our lakes and recreating accordingly, local boaters can ensure that the health of Northwest Connecticut’s lakes remains intact for the next generation of residents and visitors alike.