Urging the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management to Study and Regulate the Impact of Wake Boats on Rhode Island Public Waterways

WHEREAS, Rhode Island is home to at least 237 freshwater lakes, ponds, and reservoirs covering approximately 18,845 acres, many of which serve as drinking water sources, wildlife habitats, flood control resources, and vital recreational areas for residents and visitors; and

WHEREAS, Approximately seventy percent of Rhode Island’s lakes are fifty acres or less in size, and only four exceed five hundred acres, making the vast majority of the State’s freshwater bodies small and particularly vulnerable to environmental disturbance; and

WHEREAS, Wake boats are specialized motorized vessels intentionally designed to generate large, powerful waves through the use of deep V-shaped hulls, hydrofoil devices, and ballast systems that may add between 2,000 and 6,000 pounds of additional weight; and

WHEREAS, Scientific research has documented that wake boats can produce waves two to three times higher, generate three to nine times more wave energy, and in some studies up to seventeen times the energy of comparable recreational powerboats; and

WHEREAS, Wake boat propellers and ballast-enhanced displacement have been shown to resuspend bottom sediments in water up to thirty-three feet deep, disturbing previously sequestered nutrients and contaminants; and

WHEREAS, Sediment resuspension releases nitrogen, phosphorus, and other stored nutrients into the water column, accelerating algae growth, contributing to harmful and toxic cyanobacteria blooms, reducing dissolved oxygen, impairing fish and aquatic habitats, and increasing the frequency of no-contact advisories issued to protect public health; and

WHEREAS, Increased turbidity from sediment disturbance reduces light penetration, limits photosynthesis, degrades aquatic vegetation, and disrupts the ecological balance necessary to sustain Rhode Island’s freshwater ecosystems; and

WHEREAS, The powerful wakes generated by wake boats have been documented to require between 400 and 1,023 feet to dissipate to levels comparable to conventional vessels, thereby increasing shoreline erosion, degrading fish habitat, damaging infrastructure, and imposing financial burdens on riparian property owners; and

WHEREAS, Shoreline hardening undertaken in response to wake-induced erosion often further degrades natural habitats, reduces biodiversity, increases stormwater runoff, and exacerbates water quality decline; and

WHEREAS, Wake boats may retain significant quantities of water in ballast tanks and bilge compartments even after drainage, increasing the risk of transporting aquatic invasive species and pathogens between Rhode Island waterbodies; and

WHEREAS, The increased wave energy generated by wake boats presents heightened safety risks to swimmers, kayakers, paddleboarders, anglers, and operators of smaller watercraft; and

WHEREAS, Several states, including neighboring New England states, have enacted legislation establishing minimum lake size requirements, minimum water depth standards, and minimum setback distances from shorelines and structures for wake boat operation in order to protect environmental quality and public safety; and

WHEREAS, These regulatory frameworks seek to balance recreational boating with the protection of fragile freshwater ecosystems, particularly on smaller lakes that are uniquely susceptible to sediment disturbance, nutrient loading, and shoreline erosion; and

WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management is charged with protecting the State’s natural resources and has the scientific expertise necessary to evaluate the environmental, ecological, and public safety impacts associated with wake boat operation; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island hereby urges the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management to expeditiously conduct a comprehensive scientific study on the environmental, ecological, shoreline, water quality, invasive species, and public safety impacts of wake boat operation on Rhode Island’s freshwater lakes, ponds, and reservoirs; and be it further

RESOLVED, That such study shall include, but not be limited to, analysis of lake size, depth, shoreline characteristics, sediment composition, nutrient loading, and proximity to sensitive habitats, as well as a review of regulatory models adopted by other New England states; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Department of Environmental Management is further urged to develop and promulgate regulations establishing appropriate limits, prohibitions, minimum depth requirements, minimum shoreline setback distances, and a clear regulatory framework governing the locations and manner in which wake boats may operate within the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.