Enhanced Wakes & Lake Safety on Big Saint & Lake Content
- Big waves from wake surfing can potentially endanger other lake users & cause damage.
- Reports of safety issues, shoreline erosion, damage to aquatic plants (weed beds).
- Resources listed below. More available online.
Can Wake Surfing Potentially Endanger Lake Users on Big Saint & Lake Content?
- Massive wakes can capsize canoes, kayaks, paddleboards & other watercraft.
- Enhanced wakes have rocked fishing, pontoon, & deck boats, knocking boaters off balance.
- At 300 feet (a football field), wakes can be over a foot high creating issues for other lake users.
- A one-foot wave can swamp a kayak, sailboat, or knock a paddleboarder off the board.
- Enhanced Wake Incidents publicly reported on Big Saint:
- Paddle boat & kayaks swamped
- Fishing boats forcefully rocked while anchored & when fishing shorelines.
- Standing anglers, surprised by large wakes, almost knocked off fishing boats.
- Young swimmer submerged by wakes near Big Saint’s popular island; flotation device had to be used.
- Paddleboarders knocked off; unable to get back on paddleboards due to enhanced wakes nearby.
- Difficulty navigating boats, due to large wakes, on different areas of Big Saint with wake surfing occurring.
- People forced off the lake; cannot use areas where wake surfing waves being created due to personal safety concerns.
Can Enhanced Waves Cause Damage?
- Property owners and lake users reported at public meetings: eroded shorelines, dock sections floating away, pier damage, moored boats damaged when wakes slammed the boat against the dock, boat damage to cradled boats on lifts (wakes lifted the boat up and slammed the boat down repeatedly), murky silt-filled water, weed beds damaged, chopped up aquatic plants piling up on shorelines, sand beaches covered in muck/silt (wake surfing occurring in front of the lake properties), large wakes at popular islands/sandbars when wake surfing nearby. Lake bottom damage viewed on sonar. An injury reported by a kayaker, who was unexpectedly swamped by wakes. It was the opinions of property owners and lake users, speaking in public meetings, that these negative effects were due to wake surfing on their lakes.
- Lakebed videos of our three lakes will be posted on the website soon.
- Wake boat propwash likely stirs up sediment/silt/muck, releasing phosphorus, potentially feeding algae and lowering water clarity. In studies on lakes with wake boats in wake surf mode, lakebed disturbances are measured 16-26 feet deep. Big Saint Germain Lake is avg depth of 21 feet, & Lake Content is 14 feet; even in deeper areas, the lake bottom is potentially being scoured as seen in research studies on natural lakes.
- Pollutants, like arsenic & mercury, can be released when the lake bottom is repeatedly disturbed.
- Algae blooms impact lake users, property values, fisheries, and wildlife. Blue-green algae is toxic.
Information to View (much more available online):
- Lakes at Stake – The Hidden Threat of Wakeboat Propwash – YouTube
- Are wakeboats causing bottom craters on Wisconsin Lakes?
- Ecosystem Threats — Lakes at Stake
- https://youtu.be/2OEHn0Htj8A Wake Surfing a Threat to our Lakes
- Property Damage — Lakes at Stake
More Information:
- Watch for enhanced wakes (wake surfing). If children or grandchildren in the water, wearing personal flotation devices increases water safety.
- Big wakes forcefully rock boats & can swamp watercraft – be aware. (kayaks, canoes, paddleboats, sailboats, paddleboards, jon boats, small watercraft).
- Document any changes to shorelines with photos/videos if anything happens to change. Info available about keeping shorelines as natural as possible.
- The Towns of Plum Lake, Boulder Junction, Presque Isle, Cloverland, Lac Du Flambeau, Newbold, Lake Tomahawk, and Winchester have enhanced wake bans (banning use of ballast tanks, bags, & wake enhancing fins/shapers to create artificially high wakes). More WI towns discussing restrictions or bans.
- Wakes are 2.5 – 4.5 feet high to surf on, using a surfboard, and these wakes are hard to see coming from 300 – 700 feet away as the waves dissipate.
- Wake boats have 350 – 650 horsepower motors and propeller shaft angles of around 30 degrees below horizontal, due to the bow-high boat angle, plus the propeller shaft angle. Forceful propwash is created going down 16 – 26 feet, or more, in published studies with wake boats operating in lakes. Ballast lake water (up to 6000 lbs.), wake shaping fins & wedges, and staying at a bow-high plowing speed (not quite on plane at 10-12 mph) creates an enhanced wake, 2.5 – 4.5 feet high, that someone can surf on behind the wake boat without a tow rope.
- Repeated wake surfing passes are usually made across a lake, and forward sight angles for the wake boat operator may be impaired, due to bow-high positioning in the water, potentially causing difficulties seeing smaller watercraft. In public hearings, lake users in kayaks, canoes, and fishing boats have reported near misses involving wake boats in wake surf mode not seeing their watercraft.
- Internal ballast tanks may not drain completely & cannot be inspected at launches, causing concerns about transfer of aquatic invasive species.
Additional Lake-Related Resources:
Big St. Germain Lake District | St. Germain, Wisconsin
Home Page | St. Germain, Wisconsin
Lakes Committee | St. Germain, Wisconsin
The Lake Content Channel
Lake Content and Big Saint Germain Lake are connected by the well-known, wooden channel. Hundreds of boaters use the channel during the spring, summer, and fall to enjoy the two lakes. A landmark, boats line up to head through from both sides, as people wave to each other while taking their turn, to slowly navigate through the moss lined waterway.
The channel replaced a shallow stream that existed between the two lakes prior to 1953. Built as a wooden box, the channel has slowly deteriorated over the years. The lowering of Big St. Germain water levels would drain Lake Content, causing fish kill and severely low water levels, if wooden boards were not placed across the channel forming a dam in the winter. The decay of the wooden walls makes it difficult to securely place the boards to dam the lake protecting Lake Content’s water levels. In the spring when the dam boards are removed, the rush of water from Lake Content helps push accumulated sand out of the channel back into Big Saint.
Named for being serene and quiet, Lake Content is often used for recreation when waves are higher on Big Saint or when people want a smaller lake experience. Known for excellent fishing, due to diverse and healthy fish habitats, silent water sports, like kayaking and canoeing, and wildlife viewing are also enjoyed. With no public launch on Lake Content, boaters must access this beautiful lake via the channel. With so many guest properties, visitors to our lakes, and the lake property owners, a large number of people need access to both lakes. The new channel, in the planning stages, will be wider and made of steel; thus, providing a safer transit between the two lakes. Big Saint & Lake Content will have a safe, navigable channel for the future. Plans are the new channel will be started in the Fall of 2025.
Permission to use all photographs: Lakes at Stake, Last Wilderness Alliance, & others who asked to remain anonymous.