The Town of Deer Lake is taking action to deal with problem boaters on the Humber River and Deer Lake.
“We’re getting too many close calls,” Mayor Dean Ball said on Thursday.
The problems — excessive speed by boaters, dangerous driving, impaired driving and boaters who are operating boats and jet skis while underage — come as the river and lake are seeing a lot more use.
“We knew it was going to get busy because of our waterways and what we’re doing to help people get in and get out of the water with that new boat launch,” said Ball. “You have boaters, you have kayakers and you have swimmers using the same water. It can’t mix.”
Ball said the town has seen issues in the area and its municipal officer has been monitoring the situation and talking to people. But now the phone at the town office has started to ring with complaints.
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Complaints have also been made to Transport Canada which has the power to shut down the river and lake to boating.
“Now it’s of a more serious nature, so we have no choice but take action," Ball said. “We’ve got to get a handle on it.”
The town met with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Deer Lake Search and Rescue and Transport Canada on Tuesday to come up with solutions to the problems.
To start it is in the process of putting up cameras at the boat launch near the Nicholsville Bridge to monitor issues happening there.
The town and the other agencies are also collaborating on put together a boating safety education program that will be ready for the start of next year’s boating season.
He said they want something that will meet the needs of the area. It will include
safety patrols and an emphasis on the requirement to wear life jackets while on the water.
And the town is considering marking off an area for swimmers around the municipal park as a no boat zone.
It also has a plan to put in a marina which would alleviate some of the pressure on the boat launch. In the meantime, the town is expanding the parking lot at the boat launch.
