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Citizens press DNR for pilot program, stronger controls on wake‑surf boat ballast to stop invasive species
Summary
Multiple speakers urged the board and department to act on wake‑surf boat ballast systems that retain water and can spread quagga and zebra mussels; advocates proposed a pilot decontamination/certification program and legislative or rule changes to prohibit non‑drainable ballast until the issue is fixed.
Multiple citizens brought a common message to the Natural Resources Board during open forum on Jan. 22: wake‑surf boats with closed ballast systems retain water that can carry aquatic invasive species (AIS) between lakes and current DNR enforcement and inspection practices cannot reliably verify that ballast tanks are free of AIS.
Speakers included Jim Olson (attorney and petition organizer), Carol Phillips (retired civil engineer), and Jeff Meissman of Last Wilderness Alliance and the Coalition to Protect Wisconsin Lakes. They summarized studies and open‑records material saying wake‑surf ballast…
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