For the week of May 14 - 20, 2003

Jet ski ban
protects people and
our special lakes

Guest opinion by SARA MICHAEL, Blaine County Commissioner

---

There are five reasons for proposing restrictions of personal watercraft on Pettit and Alturas Lakes located within Blaine County on the Sawtooth National Recreation Area:

·  Preserving the special qualities of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and the non-commercial lakes on the SNRA. The SNRA was created by Congress in 1972 to assure the preservation and protection of the natural, scenic, historic, pastoral, and wildlife values and to provide for the enhancement of the recreational values associated with these. The unique operating characteristics of jet skis (safety, noise, pollution, ability to operate at high speeds in shallow water) are contrary to these values.

·  Safety—Personal Water Craft account for less than 10 percent of vessels on U.S. waters but are involved in 55 percent of all collisions. (US Coast Guard 1996-2000).

Unlike traditional boats, personal watercraft are rudderless. Although some new 2003 models have emergency rudder systems, existing jet skis cannot turn when the throttle is turned off; therefore the driver has no control, and stopping distances are between 260 and 470 feet. Many jet ski accidents are the result of this design.

·  Increasing number of complaints—Although personal watercraft are a small percentage of the boating use on Alturas Lake, long time Blaine County residents who annually camp there have made comments such as, "After 10 years camping at Alturas Lake, jet skis last summer were so noisy that their sound overwhelmed conversation and made it so unpleasant being in our campsite that we came home early." In talking with the past and present owner of Redfish Lake Lodge, the number one complaint from their guests is the noise from jet skis.

·  The difference between jet skis and motorboats, and the crux of the noise problem, is that jet skis continually leave the water. Without the muffling effect of the water, the noise is much louder, typically by 15 dBA; each time the jet ski re-enters the water it smacks the surface with a "whomp" noise that is disruptive as well. Leaving the water is central to the fun of jet skiing but because of a short hull, a jet ski ridden fast on even a slightly choppy surface will lift out of water naturally. "Drowning in Noise: Noise costs of Jet Skis in America," Charles Komanoff and Howard Shaw, April 2000.

·  Human and Wildlife Impacts—Because jet skis are light watercraft, they can operate at high speed in sensitive near-shore areas used by swimmers, canoers, and kayakers. Studies also show a high negative impact to sensitive aquatic habitat because the vessels can go into areas inaccessible to conventional motorboats.

The majority of personal watercraft use two-strokes engines which EPA has shown to discharge 25 percent of their fuel directly into lake waters. EPA will prohibit use of two stroke engines on December 2012, but according to the California Air Resources Board, the life of a jet ski is 9 years. With over 1.2 million of the older two stroke models, our pristine alpine lakes on the SNRA would continue to be subjected to large quantities of fuel dumping. This does not fit Blaine County’s policy of protecting water quality.

In conclusion, this proposed ordinance is not precedent setting. Numerous local governments have restricted personal watercraft, the first being San Juan County in Washington State. San Juan County prohibited them because of jet ski impacts in the San Juan Islands. The National Park Service has also determined that personal watercraft are inappropriate in a vast number of parks because they impair park values such as quiet and solitude, pollute the water, impact wildlife, and threaten public safety. I believe that the Sawtooth National Recreation Area is equivalent to any national park in this country and deserves similar protection.

---

(Editor’s Note: A second public on the proposed ban of jet ski use on Petit and Alturas lakes in the Sawtooth Valley will held by the Blaine County Commission at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 21, at the Old County Courthouse in Hailey.)

 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.