AUSTIN, Texas — Expect to slow your boat down near two of the highest-trafficked parts of Lake Austin as part of an effort to improve boater safety.
On Thursday, Austin City Council approved two new no-wake zones. The zones will be located near Pennybacker Bridge and north of Tom Miller Dam.
"If you slow people down in a high-trafficked area, it's going to make things safer, more reaction time. Also, you have more time to see people on the water and things of that nature," APD Lake Patrol Sgt. Glen Kreger said.
There are existing, smaller no-wake zones in both areas of the lake, but they haven't been very effective. They only covered a small portion, allowing for boats to speed around it, causing waves.
"When people are trying to get on and off boats, and you have a three- or four-foot wave; it's a hazard," Sgt. Kreger said. "Now, people won't be able to go through the middle of the lake at wake speed because the whole area is a no-wake zone."
Alex Patlan, owner of boat rental company 360 Splash, hopes the changes will make people feel safer when out on the water.
"If you've ever been the guy trying to put your boat on right here while you've got boats just passing, it just makes it hard. It's really choppy," he said.
Initially, the city considered no-wake zones along the entire shoreline of Lake Austin, but the city determined that would "create numerous practical problems and, for enforcement purposes, would require the purchase and maintenance of a significant number of buoys."
The city is paying the Lower Colorado River Authority more than $3,000 to install the buoys that will mark the new zones.
City staff will let boaters know about the changes before the summer boating season.
"We will probably have a set amount of time that we'll give warnings," Sgt. Kreger said.
If you're a repeat offender, however, you could find yourself paying a fine of up to $500.
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