Underwater turbulence from wakesurfing can ‘adversely’ impact Minnesota’s lakes, according to a highly anticipated study by the University of Minnesota.

Minnesota

University of Minnesota researchers have conducted a two-year study on the environmental effects of recreational boats, focusing on wakeboats, on Minnesota's lakes. Using underwater sensors and cameras, the team found that wakeboats, especially in shallow waters, disturb sediments, damage aquatic plants, and increase nutrient release, which can lead to excessive algae growth. 

The study recommends that wakeboats operate in waters at least 20 feet deep to minimize environmental impact. While some property owners have voted to ban wake surfing on certain lakes, there is currently no statewide regulation in Minnesota. The boating industry maintains that the impact is minimal in 10 feet of water, but further research is ongoing to compare the effects of boat-generated waves with those caused by wind.

Wakesurfing's underwater impact

The power of wakeboats seems obvious on the surface. This was conducted on Lake Minnetonka. But to better understand their effects on the environment, you have to go underwater. Over the course of two years, University of Minnesota researchers Andy Riesgraf and Jeff Marr have studied the effects of powerboats. We looked at seven different recreational boats. Including wakeboats, which are designed to sit deeper in the water, creating a larger, more surfable wave. It's significant. Boats are getting bigger, more powerful in the state, and so that energy is going into the water and it's impacting the water column and the lake bed. The team of researchers used underwater sensors and cameras... I think the videos are quite striking. ...to document how the power of those waves impact the lake bed. Watch what happened during these experiments on Lake Minnetonka. The water depth here is nine feet. On the left is a standard recreational boat skimming across the lake. On the right is a wakeboat in wake surf mode at the same spot and the same depth. You can see the waves from the wakeboat kicking up sediment and plant life, clouding up the water. You get quite a bit of disruption, erosion, resuspension of material, and even damage to vegetation. Here's another look, this time at a greater depth of 14 feet. It's like a bomb goes off. And that's a really big damage. Aquatic plant communities are fragile. While University of Minnesota researchers acknowledge all boats have the potential to damage aquatic vegetation, they recommend wakeboats should only operate in surfing mode where the water is 20 feet deep or greater to minimize impacts on the lake bed. Ready? But wake surf business owners like Adam Moore... What are we going to limit next? ...worry about ongoing efforts to regulate wake surfing on Minnesota's lakes. It's not just Minnesota. It's around the country that people are fighting this. The boating industry has its own studies too, including this one co-authored by employees of a boat manufacturer, which says, quote, the environmental impact is minimal when operating a wakeboat in just 10 feet of water. Right now, Minnesota does not have a law that limits or restricts wake surfing. All in favor? Aye. Aye. But in northern Minnesota last year, property owners on Caribou Lake voted to ban wake surfing, citing a previous U of M study, which found wakeboats need a distance of more than 500 feet to decrease waves similar to that of a standard recreational boat at just 200 feet. So it's a huge issue. Steve Froehlich and Chuck Becker are now hoping to replicate similar wake surfing bans on potentially thousands of Minnesota lakes. For the smaller lakes, the more shallow lakes, I would suggest they're just not appropriate for enhanced wake sports. U of M researchers have since found that turbulence from wakeboats adversely impacts lakes, stirring up sediments in the water, releasing nutrients like phosphorus, and leading to excessive algae growth. These finer sediments can stay mobilized for a long time. This view from above reveals the trail of the disturbed lake bed. And this is what it looked like nearly an hour later. Seeing the videos, it just brings it home. And what depth is this? Nine feet. But it's these new videos and what they reveal. And right there is the pressure waves, and now we see the bubbles from the exhaust and propeller wash. That could play a key role in future conversations about regulating wake surfing. I think the results of this study will help protect Minnesota's lakes, definitely. And how we treat our lakes. We really hope at the highest level, people become aware of what's going on under the water, what their boat is doing. Now there is a third part to this U of M study, which is now currently underway. The focus of phase three is to examine the effects of waves that are generated by wind versus powerboats, and any potential impacts to the shoreline. But it could be a while before we know any of the results from those experiments. For the Fox 9 Investigators, I'm Nathan O'Neill.

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