Lake Minnetonka board votes to double wake zone distance to 300 feet
MINNEAPOLIS -- Starting next year, there'll be new wake zone rules on Lake Minnetonka.
Earlier this month, the Lake Minnetonka Conservation District voted to require boats to maintain a speed of 5 mph or less within 300 feet from shore, doubling the distance of the current limit, which was set at 150 feet from the shoreline.
The rule is set to take effect on Jan. 1.
The change comes following concerns that newer boats, such as those designed for wakeboarding, are creating large wakes that lap onto the shoreline, causing erosion. The wakes created by powerful boats also impact kayakers and canoers near the shore, the district says.
Gregg Thomas, the district's board chair, said in a statement that this rule change is "one step that will help us protect the lake and make it safer for everyone."
However, some groups and lake-goers stood against the change when it was a proposal over the summer. Kevin Kerkvliet, who sells boats designed for the sport at River Valley Powersport and Marine, told WCCO that boats weren't the issue, irresponsible boaters were.
The current 150 feet wake zone rule was put in place decades ago, when the landscape of boating technology was different.
The rule change will not impact current speed limits near docks, anchored boats, swimmers, or scuba divers' warning flags, the district said. Boaters will still be required to keep a distance of 150 feet from such objects and people.
Before making the rule change, the district said it held public listening sessions, invited community members to speak at board meetings, reviewed research, and consulted with boating industry leaders taking a vote.
