Lake Norrell residents want boat ballast tank usage banned
During the Benton City Council Parks Committee meeting Tuesday, residents of the Lake Norrell area expressed their concern over the use of boat ballast systems and asked permission for the city to allow signs to be placed in the area banning the use of ballast tanks to create bigger waves.
President Brian Steppig and board member Mark Riable of the Lake Norrell Area Association, which serves as the area’s property owners association, spoke to the committee about the concerns local residents have about the use of boat ballast systems.
“We’re not trying to keep anybody from coming out there and getting on the lake,” Riable said.
Riable added that the LNAA is not trying to be overly restrictive about use of the lake, but that these types of systems can create waves that have become an issue for area residents and lake users. Boat ballast systems can be used to intentionally create bigger waves.
Lake Norrell is owned by the city of Benton and is also used as a back up water supply if the Saline River become too low.
According to Riable, boaters with boat ballast tanks use the power of the tank to intentionally create bigger waves for wakeboarding and surfing type activities.
“We know that all boats make a wave,” Riable said. “Even a person swimming does. We are not arguing about that. What we are concerned about is these ones that artificially, intentionally create a bigger wave than they normally would.”
LNAA board members spoke with Benton Mayor Tom Farmer prior to the meeting on the suggestion of Alderman Steve Lee to express their concerns.
Farmer told the committee that what the LNAA is seeking, is for signs to be posted in the area letting lake goers know that the boat ballast tanks cannot be used at
Lake Norrell for the purposes of creating surfing type waves. From
a legal standpoint, Farmer did not see a problem with placing the signs, but that enforcement would “be impossible” because they city cannot place people at the lake for that purpose. He also added that the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission does not have enough personnel to enforce the ban.
The LNAA, and not the city, would be responsible for placing the signs at the
lake. Farmer told the committee that the LNAA would work with Benton Parks and Recreation Assistant Director Daniel Baxley since the parks department is responsible for keeping the lake area “clean and mowed.”
Alderman Shane Knight said he has had experience seeing these types of boats at Lake Ouachita during fishing tournaments and doubted that Lake Norrell itself was even big enough for those types of boats to be used.
Both Riable and Steppig agreed that the lake cannot accommodate those types of boats, especially when more than one is being used at a time. Steppig added that two years ago, the use of a boat with a ballast tank sunk another boat at the lake.
Knight asked the LNAA if they had any plans in place on how to enforce the signs.
“This, obviously, is the first step,” Riable said. “We're hoping that there will be voluntary compliance.”
He added that the Saline County Sheriff's Department does patrol the area along with local voluntary firefighters and other rescue personnel.
“We just want to see if (the signs) will help,” Riable said. “We hope that this will be the end of it. If it doesn't, we may have to come back and revisit it again.”
The committee unanimously approved a motion to allow the LNAA to place signs at the lake. Boats will be allowed on the lake with a boat ballast system, provided that they are not used as a surfing mechanism.
The matter will now be sent to the full city council for consideration. Farmer and Alderman Judd Hart also encouraged both men to attend the next city council meeting in case additional information is needed. Hart added that the meeting is open to the public and that there may be those who attend that meeting that may want to speak against the sign request.