Dept. of Game, Fish and Parks
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003
For more information:  Emmett Keyser, 773-3387

NO-WAKE ZONE AND SOME WATER SAFETY ZONES REDEFINED

PIERRE – The Game, Fish and Parks Commission recently finalized a proposal to bring the definition of "no-wake zone" into compliance with language used in state law. Additionally, modifications were finalized for a number of public water safety zones to provide additional boating opportunity while still providing for the protection of shorelines and ensuring the safety of the boating public.

According to Assistant Wildlife Director Emmett Keyser, "The definition of ‘no-wake zone’ has been modified to state specifically that ‘at no time may the boat be operated at a speed greater than five miles per hour.’ This change has brought the definition in compliance with language used in state law and should provide a better understanding to boat operators as to the maximum speed allowed in a no wake zone," he said.

Another commission finalization converted current boat horsepower restrictions on some waters into "no wake zones" to allow greater use of the lakes in question.

"In the past, horsepower restrictions prohibited larger boats from operating on these lakes", Keyser said. "The idea behind this change was to allow the use of larger boats in these areas as long as they are operated at no-wake speeds."

Lakes with horsepower changes include:

• Staum Dam in Beadle County,
• Lakes Dimock, Menno and Tripp in Hutchinson County,
• Long Lake in Lake County,
• Lakes Alvin and Lakota in Lincoln County,
• Loss Lake in Minnehaha County,
• Two sections of Lake Campbell in Moody County,
• Lake Marindahl in Yankton County.
• For Lake Hanson in Hanson County, a no-wake zone is now in effect when the lake elevation is 12" or greater above the spillway elevation.
• For the Missouri River in Hughes County, a no-wake zone is in effect along an area adjacent to Griffin Park in Pierre. In order to provide for the safety of the boating and swimming public, this area was marked as a "no-wake" in the past, however, there was no formal rule in place.
• The waters starting at the mouth of the Bad River in Fort Pierre, extending west to the pedestrian footbridge, have been added as a "no wake zone" to provide safe launching and landing conditions for users.

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