Lakes Committee works on lake safety

BELLA VISTA — The Property Owners Association’s Lakes Committee has been busy the last two years and now has a document showing what it has been doing.

The document was presented to the committee at its meeting Dec. 9.

Safety is always the highest priority, the report said. Some regulations around the lakes have been changed to make the experience safer for boaters, anglers and swimmers.

Among the rule changes recommended by the committee over the past few years is requiring boats to use a counter-clockwise direction when cruising around the lakes. Also, boats over 26 feet not be allowed on Bella Vista lakes, although any boat already registered can be renewed.

Swimming off a boat should take place in the no-wake areas of each lake, according to a recommendation from the committee. However, swimmers can still use the area surrounding their docks.

When boats pulling tubes and skiers must turn to retrieve someone in the water, they should turn left, the guidelines say. If another craft is following a ski boat, it needs to maintain a safe distance of at least 150 feet.

The committee discussed wake boats at length over the last few years and heard from members both for and against the specialized crafts. Wake boats add extra ballast to create larger wakes for surfing and tubing. Some members believe the larger wake damages the shoreline and docks.

A wake boat study was done by the committee and is available on the association web page. While wake boats weren’t banned, they will be given a special sticker when the boat is registered. Members registering the wake boats must watch a safety video.

Other new regulations about wake boats include requiring them to be 200 feet from docks and shoreline and “throwing” the wakes towards the center of the lake.

The committee also recommended more ranger training and increased enforcement at key times.

The board voted to accept the document and add it to the committee’s archives. Member Grace Turley said the document would help boaters and should be easily accessible to them.

Association General Manager Tom Judson reminded the committee its minutes are posted on the association website and will remain posted indefinitely. Also, when members register boats, they receive a copy of the lake regulations. It’s possible, he said, to provide too much information and people won’t read it.

During his report to the committee, Lakes and Fisheries superintendent Rick Echols said more fish will be stocked in 2021. Some extra stocking has already started, he said. Catfish went into each lake recently and grass carp were purchased and stocked early to avoid an expected price increase. The regular winter stocking of trout in Lake Brittany has started.

Because of budget restraints, only one dam will be resurfaced in 2021. Lake Brittany was on “everyone’s list,” Echols said, and it will get the improvement.

Engineers are looking at a new sinkhole close to Lake Ann. The lake was lowered after the sinkhole was discovered to find out if the water in the sinkhole was coming through the dam. It isn’t, Echols said. The water comes from lake overflow via the spillway. He’s waiting for the engineers to suggest a solution to the problem.

Echols said he’s heard from several members about jug and branch line fishing and plans to hold an open forum — possibly in February — to discuss the issue with more members. To prohibit that type of fishing would require the city and the state Game and Fish Commission to agree.