Boats and Jet Skis

[bwca]

message migrated from old board

1 message in topic 1 paddlerjimmy 2004-02-27 09:05
Something I found in an old CityPages:

"I couldn't help note the irony in the idea of drawing attention to the issue of pollution in the river by riding Jet Skis, which tend to be very polluting," notes Clark.

In fact, according to the California Air Resources Board, a typical personal watercraft operated continuously for seven hours produces as much smog as a 1998 passenger car driven 100,000 miles; like other water craft with two-stroke engines (including most outboard motors), personal watercraft discharge up to 30 percent of their fuel unburned directly into the water. True, some newer models are significantly less polluting, but there are other reasons to object to their use on rivers, says Clark. The wakes, for instance, damage shoreline habitat and add sediment to the water, impeding the growth of aquatic plants.

[deadphishphan]

i think only emergency motor boats should be allowed anywhere in the boundary waters. all the lakes are connected, and so even if you aren't in a certain lake it could still suffer under the effects of it. i notice that when i start a trip on moose lake, the water is murkier than when i get to the middle of my trip. even after a portage out of the lake you can still see some of the gasses and oils on the surface of the water.

[jackfish69]

Are you serious? You think running a few tow boats on a lake is going to make it murky? Start thinking about the lake bottom and what bacterium is living down there. Maybe that could be a part of it. If you don't like the motors then why don't you paddle all the way to basswood or whenever your going.

[deadphishphan]

It was merely an opinion. No need to be angry.