The Iowa D.N.R. is considering changes to a couple of boating laws that would only impact boaters in Dickinson County. Rich Jordet is with the D.N.R. Law Enforcement Bureau in northwest Iowa says one of the changes would help address safety concerns and reduce soil erosion around the shore.
If approved, zones would be established where boaters would be restricted to speeds of less than 5 miles an hour. Currently, the areas are marked as “no wake” zones. “In order to get consistency for both the public and law enforcement, we went 5 miles per hour instead of the no wake,” Jordet explained. “No wake is a hard thing to describe.”
Another change would alter a state law that limits boat speeds within 300 feet of shore. Jordet says the speeds would be restricted to 5 miles per hour – down from 10 miles per hour. The proposed changes will be the topic of a public meeting at 7 p.m., May 25, at Gull Point State Park Lodge, on the west shores of West Okoboji Lake