Over the past several months, the Fox Waterway Agency, its’ Board of Directors, the Lake and McHenry County Sherriff Departments along with other governmental regulatory agencies patrolling the Chain O’ Lakes area have received a large number of complaints relating to noise and excessive speed concerning performance boats, particularly from areas of congestion and high concentration of boats such as the river and various channels. As a response to these complaints, these governmental entities have significantly stepped up enforcement of existing ordinances and regulations dealing with noise and boating safety in an attempt to resolve the complaints. However, the complaints have not subsided. Discussions are now underway to evaluate what new ordinances and/or regulations need to be passed to resolve the noise and excessive speed issues if the problems and complaints persist. These new ordinances/regulations include the potential for speed limits on the river and other possible speed and noise restrictions on the Chain.
A grassroots group of performance boaters organized by Mike Livorsi of Livorsi Marine, Scott Shogren of Shogren Performance Marine and Steve Nelson and Fred Nielsen of Lake Villa are initiating a call to action for all performance boaters. This movement aims to take control of this situation before new ordinances and regulations are enacted that would likely negatively impact the enjoyment we have as performance boaters here on the Chain O’ Lakes. The group is asking performance boaters in general to be aware of the issues and complaints about noise and speed and to join in a collective effort to resolve the causes of these complaints. Please consider restricting speed and noise when boating on the river or other congested areas of the Chain and please help to spread the word to other fellow performance boaters to enlist their cooperation to the noise and speed issues confronting all of us.
If we, as fellow performance boaters, do not police ourselves and these complaints persist, the various governmental agencies led by the Fox Waterway Agency and its’ Board may take action that could result in a less friendly performance boating environment here on the Chain. However, if we, the performance boating community on the Chain, can take steps toward eliminating or at least mitigating these complaints from river and other Chain residents, it will go a long way in preserving the wonderful performance boating environment we enjoy here on the Chain O’ Lakes.
