Practical Water Wisdom: Do Horsepower and Wakeboarding Matter to Your Lake?

Registration

Registration required to attend this virtual event.

Description

Wakeboats and other large recreational vessels are becoming more prevalent on Minnesota lakes including northern and western regions of the state. While wakesurfing is an enjoyable, family-friendly activity, it is creating concern from citizens, landowners, and lake resource managers. The large waves produced by wakeboats have been observed to cause damage to shorelines and property and can also create unsafe conditions for other boaters. There is also concern that extreme wake waves and propeller thrust may cause erosion and resuspension of sediment from the lake bottom.

This seminar will report on ongoing research by the University of Minnesota (UMN) St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, looking at impacts of large boat waves on Minnesota lakes. This seminar will also present UMN’s plans for future research and what actions boat owners and lake residents can take to protect lakes and recreational access for all users.

Practical Water Wisdom: A Virtual Learning Series is presented by Itasca Waters with support from:

Presenter

Jeff Marr, associate director of engineering and facilities, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, University of Minnesota.

Contact

John A. Downing, director, Minnesota Sea Grant.

Image credit: Michael Kucharski/Unsplash

Related Outreach Projects