I WISH to respond to several recent letters to the editor that have been published in this paper that have complained about the damage that wake boats are doing to the ecosystem of the Murray River.
Let’s, for the sake of this article, assume that by wake boats the authors of these letters actually mean the purpose built wake board boats and not simply any vessel that can add ballast and tow a wakeboarder.
As an owner of one of these boats I am fed up with the constant assumption year after year that I am a reckless hoon with no regard for any other user of the waterway or for the waterway itself.
This allegation is incorrect.
My family and I have skied on the Murray for well over 20 years.
We have seen the traffic increase on a yearly basis, with this summer seeming to be busier than many in recent years.
There appears to be many more PWC (personal watercraft) about this year and also many more craft towing biscuits and knee boarders.
The big change that we have noted this year is the amount of boat and PWC drivers who have no idea what they are doing on the water, and we have had to take evasive action several times to avoid mishaps, often with the other driver oblivious to what could have happened. Yet, simply because we have a wake boat, we are the ones that are criticised. All this however is merely rhetoric that gets hashed over every year.
The issue that has prompted me to finally put pen to paper is the ongoing misconception that wake boats are responsible for the degradation of the river banks.
This coupled with the invitation by one author to register complaints about wake boats with the NSW Maritime has forced me to respond.
Let me state this as clearly as I can for all readers and those concerned about the state of the river.
There is no research based evidence that the wash from wake boats contributes to the erosion of the river bank any more than the normal river flow.
While research into this issue has been limited, there are several studies which have set out to prove that wake boats cause excessive erosion to the river banks; however they have not been able to do so.
The outcomes of two recent Echuca based studies are as follows. Baldwin (2008) found that “when the potential for erosion from boat induced waves is compared to the potential from other sources, including flow and wind induced waves, it was estimated that overall, boat wakes only contribute to a small percentage of the total energy expended on the river bank at Echuca.
“Most of the energy expended on the river bank in this region is associated with river flow, with a smaller additional contribution from wind-induced waves.”
Further to this, the research by Baldwin, Boulding and Huzzey (2009), found: “There is no doubt that high speed recreational boating contributes to bank erosion on the Murray River.”
“However, the results from this and other studies would suggest that other factors – most notably high flows coupled to relatively constant water-levels for extended periods of time associated with river regulation – have a much more substantial impact.”
The full research articles are too long to be included here, however are available to anyone who would take the time to do some research.
Let us respect each others rights to use the Murray River as we see fit, and if we are going to report anyone, let us look to those river users that are a danger not only to themselves but also to others.
I have no doubt that this debate will be ongoing, but for now, and until further research is done, there is no arguing with the evidence.
Sandra Connor,
Gol Gol.
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