You may have heard this sentence before: “Big wakes destroy the shoreline”. What does that mean and why is it bad? The shoreline is the area of land closest to the lake. The shoreline serves as a barrier between harmful sediments and the lake. More vegetation in this area, means more sediments are filtered out of the run-off water. Wakes erode the shoreline. Not only does this destroy nests, but it also deteriorates our lake’s natural defence against dangerous sediments such as phosphates. This is why it is illegal to remove vegetation within 15 m of the lake. When you go at mid-speed or go wake-boarding, you make a huge wake that causes the erosion of these areas. It is a good idea to experiment with your boat to check when your wake is biggest (Psst- the answer is when going mid-speed). When your boat is at an angle (like when you are accelerating) you produce a massive wake.These wakes are detrimental to the lake’s ecosystem. The more the ecosystem is damaged, the less it can defend itself from attacks like milfoil or climate change. Please be mindful of your wake. As much as possible, try to either go full speed or slow. The absolute worst thing you can do is go wake-boarding as this activity irreparably destroys our lake. Lakes, where they haven't been able to control this near us, have seen so much erosion that they have been forced to erect ugly and expensive concrete barriers along the shoreline. If you have friends who wakeboard, try to educate them on the harm they are causing. Let’s do our best to not end up there!
