Slow, no wake zones at high water lakes around Stearns County will be left to the discretion of the Stearns County Sheriff. That was the decision Tuesday of the Stearns County Board of Commissioners.
Signs recommending boaters slow down will be posted on lakes where the Sheriff determines high water is causing problems.
At a public hearing during the Board Meeting Tuesday, Aug. 16, some lakeshore owners expressed that the high water combined with fast boaters were causing their shoreline to erode. On the other side, resort owners testified that a no-wake ordinance would hurt business.
Commissioners chose not to adopt a county-wide ordinance, because not all lakes are dealing with the same flooding problems and violations of the ordinance would be too hard to enforce. Sheriff John Sanner said signs recommending people slow down worked when they were posted earlier this summer.
People interested in a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) imposed no-wake order can contact Kim Elverum at the DNR at (651) 259-5343.
No-wake zone signs on some area lakes
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