Quote:
Originally Posted by Bear Islander
I don't think a 150' restriction is excessive. I have moorings at approximately 50' and 150' plus a swim raft at 100'. Obviously kayaks, canoes swimmers etc. travel through his area all the time. Fishermen are in this area daily.
All that is reasonable. However a boat dropping anchor, possibly on my drinking water intake, in this area to party or hang out or play music is unnecessary and rude. If it happened a lot I would be looking for a no rafting zone myself.
You may look at that rafting picture above and think it looks like fun. When I look at it I wonder how many of those boats have a head! People will take the family rafting for the day, many with little children. Where do they go to the bathroom? I boated on Winni many years before I bought my place so I already know the answer to that question.
Take another look at that picture and imagine your drinking water intake is a few feet under one of those boats.
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Regarding porta-potties as mentioned, many boats today do infact have head facilites on board. However, I don't see boaters peeing in the lake as a wide-spread health concern. Rather, I see this argument as chafe. If urinating in the lake is a problem, then why not restrict all human contact with the lake, inlcuding swim lines, rafts, docks, etc. In fact in the spring it's debris from shore front properties that create water borne hazards. I will say that if drinking water quality is a concern it is incumbent on you the homeowner to install a filtration system.
Honestly, there are far greater concerns I would have about consuming the lake water than human urine. You ever think lake water can come into contact with dead/decaying animals and where that water goes?
Regarding your swim platform, without taking my time to revisit the requirements I am fairly certain that if you have a swim raft 100' from shore that it's not legal.
I notice you put the words "party" to preface the "hanging out". Again, the verb/adjectices should be chosen carefully as it seems quite often that shorefront owners want to use language to bolster their case. In my experience on the lake, major parties are the exception and not the rule. Additionally, rafting and/or anchoring is primarilly between 9AM until about 3-5PM on good weather weekends only. I find that amount of time to be a very small burden on anyone.
So would you propose 150' exclusion ring all around the lake for anchoring? Would this include a single boat as well or boats with spacing between them? Do you realize that most lakes in this country have nothing as restrictive as Winni does for rafting/anchoring? Why should this lake be an exception?
Again, what would satisfy yourself as a shorefront owner with rewritten rafting rules? I honestly want to hear from people like yourself what do you consider a realistic, logical, and amicable solution?