Pitch for Boulder Reservoir: Ban Jet Skis, polluting boats
What: Boulder City Council study session
When: 6 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Boulder Municipal Building, 1777 Broadway
Reservoir proposals
The city of Boulder is considering making changes to the Boulder Reservoir Master Plan, which guides the allowed uses at the 700-acre park. While nothing has been decided, here's a look at the options for:
Boating
Ban all watercraft
Ban only fuel-powered watercraft
Ban Jet Skis and two-stroke boat engines
Maintain current regulations
Expand restrictions on power boats, including the number of boats allowed and engine power
Continue charging fees to monitor boats for invasive species of aquatic plants and animals
Alcohol use
Require permits for alcohol consumption at all reservoir property except on the water or at the south shore
Special events
Designate gatherings of more than 1,200 people as "signature events," which are limited to one per month
Prohibit special events at the north shore, Coot Lake and Tom Watson Park
Require all special events to begin and end at the south shore
Limit special events with more than 100 people to one per day
West shore
Eliminate the Jet Ski Cove area
Designate the area as a "Habitat Conservation Area" and allow only wildlife viewing, fishing and model airplanes.
North shore and Coot Lake
Expand public swimming at the north shore
Ban swimming in Coot Lake
Reduce public access to the sensitive wildlife area
Allow only passive uses, like dog walking, horseback riding, bird watching, bicycling and hiking
Ban watercraft access from the north shore
Improve the bridge over Boulder Feeder Canal
Create a Lyons-to-Boulder trail connection
Improve the crossing at 63rd Street
A proposed revamping of the allowed uses at the Boulder Reservoir could include a ban on all Jet Skis and older two-stroke boat engines, tighter restrictions on power boats and limited public access to sensitive wildlife areas near the shore.
All the proposed changes included in the Boulder Reservoir Master Plan are still up for debate, which the City Council will discuss during a study session on Tuesday.
Changing the plan, which hasn't been updated since it was first adopted as a set of policy guidelines in 1983, has been in the works since last summer.
"The uses have changed at the reservoir -- the types of uses and the numbers of people," said Alice Guthrie, superintendent for Boulder's Parks and Recreation Department. "It's time for us to check in."
Citizens, through a host of public meetings, and city boards have since weighed in on the document. What has emerged is a set of concepts and options for updating the plan, including better defining what types of recreational uses should be allowed at the 700-acre site that stores a portion of Boulder's drinking water.
Many of the options being considered revolve around boating, which is among the most popular uses at the reservoir and is a money-maker for the city -- last year the city earned $136,000 from the 937 boat permits that were sold.
There are generally three options for boating policies that are being considered.
One, is to maintain the status quo with no limits on the size or types of engines, "no wake" periods in the mornings three days a week and limitations on the number of boats allowed at any given time based only on the discretion of reservoir staffers.
Another option is to cap boat engines at 500 horsepower, limit large boats to 20 at a time, ban all personal watercraft that have an engine and add additional no-wake times.
The third -- and most restrictive option -- would be to ban either all watercraft, or just fuel-powered watercraft.
In addition to those options, the city would likely recommend new restrictions on fueling boats while on the water and prohibiting the launch of boats from the north shore.
The proposals have the boating community on alert.
Nicole Duryea, president of Boulder Community Rowing, a nonprofit rowing club representing more than 100 members, said the club supports "maintaining motor boats on the reservoir, in some form."
But she said there are competing interests between motor boats, which create large trailing wakes, and smaller watercraft.
"The larger motor boats affect us a great deal," she said. "The boats that we're in -- it's all about balance. We do want a couple of no-wake days or mornings, at least."
She said some compromise about limiting engine sizes and maintaining no-wake times could be good middle ground.
"The big motor boaters can still go out there and do their thing, but we still get some quiet water time," she said. "We understand that there's a huge demand for the water."
Galen Morgigno, president of the Colorado Jet Ski Riders Club, said he's concerned that if Boulder were to ban Jet Skis at the reservoir, the rest of the state might follow suit.
"Boulder always seems to be on the leading edge of, 'let's cut something out,'" he said. "By them closing off the reservoir, it could have a big repercussion across the rest of the state."
He said the jet-ski industry as a whole has embraced moving away from older two-stroke engines, which burn a mixture of oil and gas that can spew from tailpipes and pollute the air and water. Almost all Jet Skis built after 2008 are cleaner, four-stroke gasoline engines, he added.
Morgigno said he would probably support some kind of restrictions on two-stroke engines, but not a ban on the sport itself.
Outside of boating, the city is also considering new restrictions on recreation near the shore.
The north shore and Coot Lake areas, for example, could be restricted to so-called "passive recreation," like hiking, dog walking, bird watching, bicycling and horseback riding. A proposal has been floated to also allow swimming at the north shore, which is currently prohibited.
The west shore, on the other hand, is an area being considered for habitat preservation, where the only allowed uses would be wildlife viewing, fishing and flying model airplanes.
Other proposals include expanding the requirements for large gatherings at the reservoir, or requiring permits for any alcohol consumption at the reservoir except on the water or at the south shore area.
The City Council will offer input on the proposals before they move to another open house meeting later this summer to solicit additional feedback. A final proposal will be drafted beginning in July.
