Steering a Jet Ski too close to the marshes surrounding Wrightsville Beach is now against town law, punishable by a misdemeanor citation and up to a $500 fine.
The board of aldermen voted Thursday, June 11 in favor of an ordinance regulating personal watercraft use around the island after town residents voiced concerns about Jet Skis damaging the marshes and shell beds.
Speed and proximity to marshland are the two main regulations the new rules place on the operation of Jet Skis. The ordinance states no person may operate a personal watercraft within 25 feet of marsh or shore within the town’s boundaries or its extraterritorial jurisdiction.
The ordinance mirrors a currently established New Hanover County ordinance prohibiting Jet Skis being operated within or near the marshes around Wrightsville Beach. Duplicating efforts will help with enforcement, town manager Tim Owens said, but with limited resources it will still be difficult to monitor the area consistently. He suggested focusing enforcement efforts on certain spots like the marshlands behind Pelican Drive.
Signage will soon be installed to alert Jet Ski operators of the new ordinance and penalty, Owens said. The board briefly considered instating a civil penalty, but decided a criminal penalty would more effectively deter people from breaking the rules.
Alderwoman Lisa Weeks suggested, during the board’s July meeting, it reexamine all the areas the town regulates boat and personal watercraft use and consider expanding no-wake zones, especially in Banks Channel. She was concerned with the dangers posed by motorboats and Jet Skis not only to the marshland, but also to the many people who play in the water.
“The bigger picture for me, is . . . water use is evolving,” she said. “If I’m on a boat, I have to be constantly alert for paddleboarders, swimmers and kayakers. … With Wrightsville Stand-Up Paddleboard there, there’s a gazillion people launching their paddleboards and it’s just not a safe situation anymore.”
Among the other agenda items to pass the board’s approval was a request by the flotilla committee to work with the N.C. Department of Transportation to start the 2015 boat parade north of the drawbridge instead of south, as it has in years past.
Committee member Linda Brown said this would put waterfront restaurants like Fish House Grill, The Bridge Tender Restaurant and Bluewater Waterfront Grill on the parade route for the first time. It would also allow people to view the boats from the docks along Summer Rest Road and Channel Walk.
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I don’t think it’s the dynamic of the propulsion system that’s causing erosion. Clearly a jetski putzing around in the marsh isn’t going to cause any more damage than a boat doing the same. It seems it would be more appropriate to have laws regulating the behavior and use of the watercraft rather than the style of craft. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say the town of Wrightsville Beach has passed a new fundraiser or that the town just doesn’t care for PWCs.