LYME — The New Hampshire Department of Safety will hold a public hearing in Lyme next week in response to a petition to establish a no-wake zone on Post Pond. 

The hearing on Thursday will be at 9 a.m. at the Lyme School, where representatives from the department will hear public testimony about the potential impacts of implementing speed restrictions for motorboats on the pond, including issues related to public safety; residential, recreational and scenic values; different uses of the pond; environment and water quality; threatened and endangered species; how many people will be impacted by the rule and the rule’s enforceability. 

The petition, introduced by the Friends of Post Pond, requests that the New Hampshire Commissioner of Safety “prohibit watercraft wakes,” and argues that boats traveling at high speeds on the pond endanger people and the environment. 

The petition alleges that boats traveling fast enough to produce a wake on the pond threaten swimmers and users of other personal watercraft, disperse invasive species such as milfoil, worsen shoreline erosion and threaten loons which are very active on the pond.

Resident Barbara Lynch, who is leading the no-wake effort and whose home on the pond is only accessible by boat, said the risks that fast-moving motorboats pose are greater than the potential inconveniences that traveling at lower speeds pose to herself and others. 

She said she sees open-water swimmers and people using small watercraft such as kayaks every day and knows that a motorboat accident could cause severe injury or death for these people. As a paramedic, Lynch said she sees people's lives change from similar accidents everyday. 

“When I look out and I see … all of this wonderful activity in a very small space, I worry that things can change in a second,” Lynch said. “And I say this from the perspective of being a first responder.”

Motorboats can cross the pond in about eight minutes, even when traveling at speeds that do not produce wakes, said Lynch. Due to the pond’s small size — just over 100 acres — and busy nature, the Friends of Post Pond have been working to establish a no-wake zone over the past year. 

The petition that triggered the public hearing was filed under RSA 270:12, which requires 25 or more community members to sign and share petitions with the commissioner of safety who will use the hearing to help determine how to implement regulations based on the public interest. Thirty-seven community members filed petitions with the DOS regarding Post Pond. 

Lin Brown, who co-owns Loch Lyme Lodge, an inn and venue on the shore of Post Pond that offers access to the water and to many non-motorized watercraft, supports the petition. Brown said it is important that boats move slowly for the safety of Lodge guests who swim, boat and fish in the pond.

Since summer 2023, boat wakes have been a frequent concern in the Upper Valley. Record high rainfall in 2023 prompted calls for emergency no-wake restrictions on Lake Sunapee and, more recently, lawmakers have battled over wake surfing restrictions in both New Hampshire and Vermont. 

Not everyone is happy with Lyme residents’ efforts.

“The proposed ban goes against the spirit of New Hampshire law, which is that public waters should be open to everyone,” said David Dickerson, vice president of state government affairs at the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA). 

Instead of a ban, Dickerson said the association recommends “boater education, responsible boating practices, and ways to share the water.”

A ban “sends the wrong message to New Hampshire’s local communities and to out-of-state visitors who enjoy family fun and fishing on New Hampshire’s ponds and lakes,” Dickerson said. “...Banning an activity that generates revenue for the state, creates jobs, and offers people the ability to recreate outdoors is ill-advised.”

But boat wakes also pose risks to property values and local economies, which depend on the recreational opportunities provided by clean, clear lakes,  Elizabeth Harper, executive director of the Lake Sunapee Protective Association, said. 

“Just last week I had a call from a potential homebuyer who asked me about the history of cyanobacteria blooms in a particular cove in Lake Sunapee because he was considering purchasing a $2.2 million lake home and wanted to assess the potential risk before buying,” Harper said in a recent email.

Clare Shanahan can be reached at clareishanahan@gmail.com.