Limits needed on wakesurfing

I read with dismay the article on wakesurfing and its growing popularity on Lake Sammamish. With the increasing regulations being put in place on shoreline owners to protect the environment on their own properties, equal attention must be paid to those using the lake from beyond the shoreline, and in many cases, causing much greater damage than anything else.

For example: Wakeboard boats are specifically designed to create a large wake to enable board tricks. The advent of wake surfing will even further exacerbate the problem, as the search for ever-bigger wakes will continue.

These boats contain up to 2000 GPM pumps with fillable bladders fitted into every nook and cranny of a wake boat, including the ski lockers, in order to sink the hull further into the water. To further these wakeboarding and wakesurfing activities, the boats are becoming larger and deeper and, with the advent of such devices as the hydraulically deployable wing under the transom, will create the huge continuous wakes particularly desired by surfers.

Due to the size of the generated wake, and proximity to shore allowable under the present regulations, it is difficult at all times and dangerous at some times to allow small children in the water at lake's edge when these boats generating huge wakes are present. Large wakes have been proven to cause significant shoreline damage, through erosion of both natural habitats and shorelines and to buildings such as boathouses and to boats moored within them or alongside docks in the area of excessive waves.

I urge the Bellevue Planning Commission (and all Lake Sammamish and Lake Washington jurisdictions) to start paying attention to these valid concerns. Increase the distance from shore of "no wake" and place more buoys around the lakes, as an easy first step. Look into legislation next and get citizens involved.

Kathryn Rupchock, Bellevue

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