Limited no-wake zone proposed for the Pawcatuck River

— State Rep. Greg Howard, R-Stonington, has proposed a bill in the General Assembly that would create a limited no-wake zone on the Pawcatuck River.

On Tuesday, Howard said the legislation would improve safety and protect the environment and private property while limiting the impact to boaters.

Under the legislation, a three-quarter of a mile stretch between Pawcatuck Rock and Graves Neck on the Connecticut side of the river would become a no-wake zone, limiting boaters to 6 miles per hour through the channel.

Howard, an avid boater, explained that in 2022, he became concerned when buoys marked “slow no wake” appeared in the river under the authority of Westerly’s harbormaster, the town’s chief of police.

Initially, Westerly wanted to make the entire river north of Graves Neck a nowake zone, but Howard said it would have led to significant issues farther upriver for boaters and three Stonington marinas, two of which provide full service and use the area for sea trials.

The state border runs approximately through the middle of the river, but the channel, a deeper area safe for boaters, meanders back and forth across the state line.

“For those boaters to make it out to the sound, if you made the whole thing no wake, you’re adding significant time,” he said, and explained that additionally, the marinas’ service customers would have seen dramatically increased costs because all sea trials would have to be done in Long Island Sound instead of in the river.

Howard said that after two years of negotiations and the support of Westerly and Stonington town officials and police departments as well as the Pawcatuck Harbor Commission and harbormaster, Westerly agreed to limit the zone to between the Westerly Yacht Club and Avondale.

But because the channel was on the Connecticut side of the border, legislation was required to create the zone.

In Connecticut, no-wake zones must be established through legislation, but Rhode Island gives that authority to various federal, state or local entities like harbormasters.

Howard estimated the change would only increase travel time to Long Island Sound by five and a half minutes and said it was necessary to work collaboratively, as the channel north of the Westerly Yacht Club is within Westerly’s jurisdiction.

Howard said the no-wake zone improves boater safety along the narrow stretch of river and will protect habitats and shorelines by reducing wake-caused erosion. Additionally, he said it will protect private docks and boats from damage caused by wakes.

Howard said he was optimistic the legislation, which was co-sponsored by State Rep. Aundré Bumgardner, D-Groton, and State Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, will pass.