LOTO: The Congested Boating Safety Act (30/300)
01-14-2008, 10:18 AM
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LOTO: The Congested Boating Safety Act (30/300)
Boating 2008: A wave of change at Lake of the Ozarks
By J.B. Simpson/LakeExpo.com
Monday, January 14, 2008 6:10 AM CST
The Congested Boating Safety Act (30/300), a buoy moratorium, a restriction on boat-slip length, the elimination of non-encapsulated foam from the lake, and the Boating Clean Up Bill are the highlights of action to change boating at Lake of the Ozarks in 2008.
LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. -- For better or worse, change is coming to the state's busiest waters. Legislators are pushing the throttle forward, the Water Patrol is buoying its positions and Ameren Corp. is reigning over docks as it moors to FERC.
-- affectionately known as the 30/300 -- is perhaps the most bold of moves to regulate boating at the lake. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Dr. Wayne Cooper, R-Camdenton, proposes boats "30 feet in length or greater be at idle speed within 300 feet of a dock, pier, occupied anchored boat or buoyed restricted area.”
Currently, law mandates idle speed within 100 feet.
If passed, the bill would also require owners to display 911 addresses on docks.
“This bill is designed to reduce wake damage from large boats," Rep. Dr. Cooper says.
Each season the Water Patrol inevitably receives reports of wakes tossing people around on docks and boats being jarred from hoists. Large wakes have also been known to cause land erosion.
In a separate but related action, the Water Patrol stopped approving no-wake buoys in December 2007 and is considering a permanent moratorium. The possibility of completely removing no-wake buoys from Lake of the Ozarks is on the table. However, it's unlikely any decision would be made before the fate of the 30/300 legislation becomes apparent.
If the legislation were to pass, the Water Patrol contends the buoys would cause confusion for boaters and inevitably lead to frequent violations of the 300-feet rule.
For years the Water Patrol has rubber-stamped private buoy applications as a way of accommodating lakefront landowners. However, as the number of docks has increased, buoys placed by residents have created an eye soar and, more importantly, a navigational hazard.
In the past, property owners requesting buoys had to place them 100 feet from the end of a dock. The problem: Not all docks are the same length and not everyone measures correctly. This has created a zigzag pattern in many coves making navigation confusing for experienced and novice boaters alike. In many cases, buoys have been hit by boats and chopped to the waterline by props. Often the buoys are not repaired creating additional hazards.
The Water Patrol says the buoy moratorium and 30/300 prioritize public safety and the protection of property.
To the same end, Ameren Corp. is moving to cap the maximum length of boat slips, which in practice hamstrings vessels meant for the high seas from navigating on Lake of the Ozarks. The new Shoreline Management Plan would limit slips to 60 feet. The plan as a whole was well received by residents during the public comment period this winter, but much feedback has pressed Ameren to reduce the dock slip length even further. By a vocal majority, the public says smaller boats mean smaller wakes crashing into other boats and the shoreline. Ameren Corp. is currently discussing changes before submitting the SMP to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by the March deadline, as required by FERC under the licensing agreement to operate Bagnell Dam. Ameren has not ruled out the possibility of amending the maximum boat slip length.
The new SMP accompanies Ameren's mission to prohibit non-encapsulated docks from Lake of the Ozarks after Dec. 31, 2008. All non-encapsulated docks left on the lake after the deadline will have permits revoked and could be removed at the owner's expense.
"If it's a problem dock that doesn't meet the guideline, we give that owner opportunities to correct the problem, and the only way that we can actually remove the dock is to have to go to court, get a court order from a judge, that gives us the right to go take that person's personal property," Mark Jordan of Ameren told KRMS Radio.
Dock owners not in compliance will also be subject to a maximum fine of $2,000.
The Boating Clean Up Bill could add teeth to the effort to rid the lake of derelict docks. If passed as endorsed by Rep. Rodney Schad, R-Versailles, the bill would change the abandoned property law statewide to include docks and boats.
However, the primary purpose of the Boating Clean Up Bill is to make boating while intoxicated on par with drunken driving laws governing Missouri roads.
The bill would reduce from 1.0 to .08 the maximum legal blood alcohol level to operate a vessel. A similar bill failed to pass in 2007. There was little opposition at the Capitol, but a competitive lawmaking environment kept the measure on the backburner.
From drinking and boating to navigation and docks, politicians, law enforcement and the private sector are marching in step to change boating dramatically at Lake of the Ozarks.
All of these measures collectively make 2008 the year boat captains across the state should pull the charts and check the horizon.
By J.B. Simpson/LakeExpo.com
Monday, January 14, 2008 6:10 AM CST
The Congested Boating Safety Act (30/300), a buoy moratorium, a restriction on boat-slip length, the elimination of non-encapsulated foam from the lake, and the Boating Clean Up Bill are the highlights of action to change boating at Lake of the Ozarks in 2008.
LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. -- For better or worse, change is coming to the state's busiest waters. Legislators are pushing the throttle forward, the Water Patrol is buoying its positions and Ameren Corp. is reigning over docks as it moors to FERC.
-- affectionately known as the 30/300 -- is perhaps the most bold of moves to regulate boating at the lake. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Dr. Wayne Cooper, R-Camdenton, proposes boats "30 feet in length or greater be at idle speed within 300 feet of a dock, pier, occupied anchored boat or buoyed restricted area.”
Currently, law mandates idle speed within 100 feet.
If passed, the bill would also require owners to display 911 addresses on docks.
“This bill is designed to reduce wake damage from large boats," Rep. Dr. Cooper says.
Each season the Water Patrol inevitably receives reports of wakes tossing people around on docks and boats being jarred from hoists. Large wakes have also been known to cause land erosion.
In a separate but related action, the Water Patrol stopped approving no-wake buoys in December 2007 and is considering a permanent moratorium. The possibility of completely removing no-wake buoys from Lake of the Ozarks is on the table. However, it's unlikely any decision would be made before the fate of the 30/300 legislation becomes apparent.
If the legislation were to pass, the Water Patrol contends the buoys would cause confusion for boaters and inevitably lead to frequent violations of the 300-feet rule.
For years the Water Patrol has rubber-stamped private buoy applications as a way of accommodating lakefront landowners. However, as the number of docks has increased, buoys placed by residents have created an eye soar and, more importantly, a navigational hazard.
In the past, property owners requesting buoys had to place them 100 feet from the end of a dock. The problem: Not all docks are the same length and not everyone measures correctly. This has created a zigzag pattern in many coves making navigation confusing for experienced and novice boaters alike. In many cases, buoys have been hit by boats and chopped to the waterline by props. Often the buoys are not repaired creating additional hazards.
The Water Patrol says the buoy moratorium and 30/300 prioritize public safety and the protection of property.
To the same end, Ameren Corp. is moving to cap the maximum length of boat slips, which in practice hamstrings vessels meant for the high seas from navigating on Lake of the Ozarks. The new Shoreline Management Plan would limit slips to 60 feet. The plan as a whole was well received by residents during the public comment period this winter, but much feedback has pressed Ameren to reduce the dock slip length even further. By a vocal majority, the public says smaller boats mean smaller wakes crashing into other boats and the shoreline. Ameren Corp. is currently discussing changes before submitting the SMP to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by the March deadline, as required by FERC under the licensing agreement to operate Bagnell Dam. Ameren has not ruled out the possibility of amending the maximum boat slip length.
The new SMP accompanies Ameren's mission to prohibit non-encapsulated docks from Lake of the Ozarks after Dec. 31, 2008. All non-encapsulated docks left on the lake after the deadline will have permits revoked and could be removed at the owner's expense.
"If it's a problem dock that doesn't meet the guideline, we give that owner opportunities to correct the problem, and the only way that we can actually remove the dock is to have to go to court, get a court order from a judge, that gives us the right to go take that person's personal property," Mark Jordan of Ameren told KRMS Radio.
Dock owners not in compliance will also be subject to a maximum fine of $2,000.
The Boating Clean Up Bill could add teeth to the effort to rid the lake of derelict docks. If passed as endorsed by Rep. Rodney Schad, R-Versailles, the bill would change the abandoned property law statewide to include docks and boats.
However, the primary purpose of the Boating Clean Up Bill is to make boating while intoxicated on par with drunken driving laws governing Missouri roads.
The bill would reduce from 1.0 to .08 the maximum legal blood alcohol level to operate a vessel. A similar bill failed to pass in 2007. There was little opposition at the Capitol, but a competitive lawmaking environment kept the measure on the backburner.
From drinking and boating to navigation and docks, politicians, law enforcement and the private sector are marching in step to change boating dramatically at Lake of the Ozarks.
All of these measures collectively make 2008 the year boat captains across the state should pull the charts and check the horizon.
01-14-2008, 11:10 AM
#2
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The new Shoreline Management Plan would limit slips to 60 feet. The plan as a whole was well received by residents during the public comment period this winter, but much feedback has pressed Ameren to reduce the dock slip length even further. By a vocal majority, the public says smaller boats mean smaller wakes crashing into other boats and the shoreline. Ameren Corp. is currently discussing changes before submitting the SMP to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by the March deadline, as required by FERC under the licensing agreement to operate Bagnell Dam. Ameren has not ruled out the possibility of amending the maximum boat slip length.
So what's on the table for slip length? What about width? I see this becoming a hot topic. What about the owners of the houseboat rentals? Boat can't stick out past the dock. What are they going to do?
Getting ready to inck a new dock with a 14x40 slip and this makes me worry.
So what's on the table for slip length? What about width? I see this becoming a hot topic. What about the owners of the houseboat rentals? Boat can't stick out past the dock. What are they going to do?
Getting ready to inck a new dock with a 14x40 slip and this makes me worry.
01-14-2008, 01:01 PM
#3
Registered
The new Shoreline Management Plan would limit slips to 60 feet. The plan as a whole was well received by residents during the public comment period this winter, but much feedback has pressed Ameren to reduce the dock slip length even further. By a vocal majority, the public says smaller boats mean smaller wakes crashing into other boats and the shoreline. Ameren Corp. is currently discussing changes before submitting the SMP to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by the March deadline, as required by FERC under the licensing agreement to operate Bagnell Dam. Ameren has not ruled out the possibility of amending the maximum boat slip length.
So what's on the table for slip length? What about width? I see this becoming a hot topic. What about the owners of the houseboat rentals? Boat can't stick out past the dock. What are they going to do?
Getting ready to inck a new dock with a 14x40 slip and this makes me worry.
So what's on the table for slip length? What about width? I see this becoming a hot topic. What about the owners of the houseboat rentals? Boat can't stick out past the dock. What are they going to do?
Getting ready to inck a new dock with a 14x40 slip and this makes me worry.
01-14-2008, 02:07 PM
#4
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The new Shoreline Management Plan would limit slips to 60 feet. The plan as a whole was well received by residents during the public comment period this winter, but much feedback has pressed Ameren to reduce the dock slip length even further. By a vocal majority, the public says smaller boats mean smaller wakes crashing into other boats and the shoreline. Ameren Corp. is currently discussing changes before submitting the SMP to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by the March deadline, as required by FERC under the licensing agreement to operate Bagnell Dam. Ameren has not ruled out the possibility of amending the maximum boat slip length.
So what's on the table for slip length? What about width? I see this becoming a hot topic. What about the owners of the houseboat rentals? Boat can't stick out past the dock. What are they going to do?
Getting ready to inck a new dock with a 14x40 slip and this makes me worry.
So what's on the table for slip length? What about width? I see this becoming a hot topic. What about the owners of the houseboat rentals? Boat can't stick out past the dock. What are they going to do?
Getting ready to inck a new dock with a 14x40 slip and this makes me worry.
The only other one I have had a good experience is "Paul's Welding" my original dock builder but they couldn't get to mine until late August, which was the reason I made the mistake of going with someone else who I wouldn't use for anything.
If they can get it permitted you would be fine, they are more interested in how far the docks are extending into the lake or cove, width would be limited by your lot size and shore line available.
01-14-2008, 03:31 PM
#5
SeaRay Sundancer
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I can understand their frustration with large wakes tearing docks etc.....but why must they go after things that arent and cant physically by responsible for the wakes? It is boat DISPLACEMENT that makes the waves, not length. The two dont always go hand in hand, and especially for high performance boats. Punish the people with the 50' searay that motor around plowing a swimming pool size hole behind them. Go figure the govt wants try and fix something they know nothing about...thus everybody gets chit on. 90 ft house boat doesnt make a wave.
01-14-2008, 03:56 PM
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My question is how much further than 60? 50? 55? 45? What does "even further mean"?
01-14-2008, 04:18 PM
#8
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Are you working with Matt? He really came through for me. I would think if Ameren was going to really limit them they would place a hold on permits of a certain size. My guess is it's probably no shorter than 50' due to all of the Marina's that have large cruisers about that length.
01-14-2008, 05:01 PM
#9
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I use Dock Works...they have always been very responsive, delivered when promised and competetively priced.
Galva-Foam and Ozark Village are also good.
Here are a couple of pics...winter and summer.
Galva-Foam and Ozark Village are also good.
Here are a couple of pics...winter and summer.
01-14-2008, 05:04 PM
#10
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