Vermont to hold hearings on wake boat rules

FAIRLEE — The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources is holding two public hearings this week to discuss potential changes to wake boat usage on lakes and rivers, according to a news release.

The proposed changes, which are in the earliest “pre-rulemaking” stage, would ban wake sports on Lake Fairlee and 11 other lakes where they are currently allowed. The ANR is soliciting feedback Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Barre, Vt., or online and Thursday at 6 p.m. in Newport, Vt., or online.

The hearing locations and virtual access links can be found online at https://tinyurl.com/mry6pyzy.

Wake boats can draw in water to increase their weight and generate better conditions for sports such as wake surfing. Opponents say they damage the environment and are dangerous to other people using the lake.

In April of last year, the ANR restricted wake sports to 30 Vermont water bodies, including Lake Fairlee and Lake Morey.

But within a matter of days, representatives from bodies of water across Vermont, including Lake Fairlee, submitted petitions asking that wake sports be banned on some of the 30 remaining bodies of water. The petition for Lake Fairlee, which is home to five summer camps, cited safety concerns.

In response, staff in ANR’s Lakes and Ponds Program have proposed revising the rules statewide.

The new rules would double the surface area required to host a wake sports zone from 50 contiguous acres that are at least 20-feet deep and 500 feet from shore to a minimum of 100 acres and at least 3,000 feet of length.

Under that standard, Lake Fairlee, which currently has a 96-acre wake sports zone, would close to wake boats, though they still would be allowed on Lake Morey.

In New Hampshire, there are no special restrictions for wake sports, as long as boats are 150 feet from shore while traveling fast enough to make a wake.

To address safety concerns, the new rules also require wake boats to stay at least 500 feet from other boats while traveling at speed, compared to the current 200-foot requirement.

The same 500-foot requirement would apply to loon nesting sites. (Lake Fairlee hosts a pair of nesting loons every spring, according to the Lake Fairlee Association. Lake Morey also had a nest this spring, according to the Lake Morey Protective Association.)

ANR is accepting written comments until 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 19 at ANR.WSMDLakes@Vermont.gov. Emails should include the word “wakesports” in the subject line.

After the public input period closes, ANR will review feedback and submit the proposed changes to the state’s committee on administrative rules.

There will be additional public meetings on the final proposed rules in late 2025 and any rule changes are expected to be adopted by March 2026.