December 12th Public Comment Meeting
During this past summer, many of you asked how you could help support our Friends of Waterbury Reservoir petition to the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) to prohibit wake sports on the Waterbury Reservoir. Now is the time when your help and support is most needed.
WE NEED PEOPLE TO SPEAK (VIRTUALLY OR IN PERSON) AT THE DECEMBER 12 PUBLIC HEARING AND TO WRITE IN SUPPORT OF THE PETITION. The Public Comment Meeting on Petitions for Proposed Changes to § 3 (Wakesports) hearing will be held in National Life Dewey Conference Room, 3 National Life Dr., Montpelier, VT, 05620. If you are unable to attend the hearing in person, we encourage you to attend virtually using Microsoft Teams or by phone. (Microsoft Teams works very much like Zoom.) Up to date information about where we are on the agenda and how to access the meeting remotely is available at: https://dec.vermont.gov/watershed/lakes-ponds/lakes-and-ponds-rulemaking/121224meeting.
The purpose of this hearing is to solicit public input on petitions submitted by 10 of the 30 lakes and ponds where wake sports are now permitted under the rules the ANR adopted last spring. Each lake will have approximately 45 minutes to include a 10-minute overview of the petition, followed by comments from the public. Each speaker will be limited to 2 minutes. Time will be strictly enforced.
Speakers: You may speak in person OR virtually, but you must sign up ahead of time. The link to sign up https://dec.vermont.gov/watershed/lakes-ponds/lakes-and-ponds-rulemaking/121224meeting should be active by noon on Tuesday, November 26 — but we suggest you check a day or two ahead in case it is activated before then. Please sign up as soon as possible so we can fill our time with speakers in support of our petition.
Time limits will be strictly enforced so you may want to write out your statement and practice reading it to be certain you are not cut off before you are finished. Limit your comments to one or two thoughts so you don’t run out of time. A copy of your statement, with or without additional detail, should if at all possible be sent to the ANR (see Written Comments next) with a copy to us at waterburyres@gmail.com or call 802-244-8683 to speak to Eric Chittenden, president of the Friends of Waterbury Reservoir.
Written Comments: The deadline for written comments is 4:30 pm, December 23. Email your comments to anr.wsmdlakes@vermont.gov and include the words “wakesports” and add “Waterbury Reservoir” in the subject line. Please be certain to send a copy of your comments to us at waterburyres@gmail.com.
The ANR has indicated comments made virtually during the meeting will be given the same weight as comments made in person, and that written comments will also be given equal consideration. Written comments submitted earlier during the rulemaking process will NOT be considered again during this review of our petition. Those comments can be resubmitted now but may need to be refocused as suggested below.
Focus of Your Oral and Written Comments: The ANR has made it clear they are not interested in any additional comments regarding issues already addressed in the new regulations, such as distance from shore, depth of water, and the wake sports zone. Please focus your comments on Safety, Conflicts of “Normal Uses” and Wake Sports, Environmental or Property Damage, Loons, Etc. If you have any personal experiences to share, please do so. And share your concerns about lack of enforcement, particularly if you feel it relates to the Home Lake rule.
Emphasize the many reasons why the Waterbury Reservoir is different from other lakes. You may want to take a look at our petition: https://dec.vermont.gov/sites/dec/files/wsm/lakes/VUPW/Waterbury%20Reservoir%20Petition.pdf Explain why protecting the Waterbury Reservoir is so important to you and your family.
In submitting this petition to the ANR, the Friends of Waterbury Reservoir has done all it can to build a solid case why wake sports should be prohibited on the Waterbury Reservoir. Now it’s your turn. We need you to share your concerns about the safety of other people who enjoy the lake, how wake sports conflict with virtually every other activity that takes place on the water, and how aquatic invasive species carried in ballast tanks threaten our water quality.
Please feel free to share this communication with family, friends, and neighbors. And please accept our apologies if you receive this communication more than once. In trying to reach as many people as possible, occasional duplication is inevitable.
Use this link to access up-to-date information on the Waterbury Reservoir meeting – the agenda, how to dial in remotely, etc. https://dec.vermont.gov/watershed/lakes-ponds/lakes-and-ponds-rulemaking/121224meeting
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