City OKs No-Wake Zone on Mon River
Ban will be enforced once buoys in place
Morgantown Dominion Post
6 August 2011
By Amanda DeProspero
A new rule is making waves — or rather stopping them — on
the Monongahela River along Morgantown’s riverfront park.
As soon as the buoys are in place, a no-wake zone will be
in effect and will be enforceable for the section of river between
Morgantown’s Lock and Dam and 500 feet below the Westover Bridge, said
Lt. Jon Cogar with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
(WVDNR).
The WVDNR and the Morgantown Police Department will have
the authority to enforce the idling no-wake zone, which means
watercraft in that area can make no wake at all, he said.
Tim Terman, who spends many of his weekends cleaning up
trash in the river, was one of the main forces behind the no-wake zone.
He brought the proposal before Morgantown City Council, which passed
the resolution April 19. The paperwork was then passed through the DNR.
“I’ve seen too many dangerous incidents on the river
already, and at this point, there aren’t really that many boaters. But
we’re seeing more kayaks, rowers, swimmers, and having in that mix
boats running full throttle through the Wharf District presents a
danger to everyone,” Terman said via email. “So, having a no-wake zone
will slow boats — just from the Westover Bridge through the Wharf
District, to the lock. It won’t be such a bother, really, for such a
short distance. But we may have saved a life or prevented serious
injury.”
In addition to protection for kayakers, swimmers, rowers
and those on non-motorized boats, the no-wake zone will help protect
the boats that are docked or in rented spaces at the Board of Park and
Recreation Commissioners (BOPARC) docks in the Wharf District and
riverfront park. Heavy wakes can jostle boats and injure boaters, he
said.
Towboats, Terman said, aren’t a concern as they move very
slowly through the water already.
“But boats with huge motors can come around the bend below
the bridge and be upon a kayaker or swimmer very quickly,” he said.
“And if the sun is in the operator’s eyes, there could be an accident.”
Jimmy King, WVU’s head rowing coach, said he supports the
no-wake zone both for the rowing teams and any regular river users.
“Recreational use of the river has increased substantially
in the four years that I have been coaching at WVU,” King said via
email. “In addition to the fishermen and the rowers, we now commonly
see tri-athletes swimming in the river, canoeists, kayakers and
recreational boaters including those riding PWCs (personal watercrafts,
such as waverunners). Whereas the lock and dam has always been a prime
fishing area, the BOPARC docks have made the Wharf District a
destination point for all.”
“I spoke to two yacht owners who were up here docking at
the marina from around Pittsburgh,” Terman said. “They said they come
up here to visit because it’s peaceful and quiet. So, a no-wake zone
will help preserve that.”
BOPARC director Mark Wise could not be reached for comment
in time for this report.