Oshkosh park board backs ordinance to ban towable water sports on sections of Fox River

The Oshkosh Advisory Park Board voted to recommend an amendment to municipal code section 17-29 that would bar water skiing, aquaplaning, wakeboarding and similar towable activities on defined sections of the Fox River.

Board members said the change is meant to reduce shoreline erosion reported by riverfront residents and to limit wake-generating tow sports in parts of the river corridor. Parks staff presented a map and a proposed ordinance change and urged the board to forward the item to the City Council for ordinance review.

Parks staff summarized the proposed amendment as follows: “No person shall operate a motorboat towing a person or persons on water skis, aqua plane, or similar device, nor shall any person engage in water skiing, aqua plane, wakeboarding, or similar activities on the following waterways,” and then listed the specified stretch of the Fox River. The staff presentation identified the boundary as running from 900 feet south of the Canadian National Railroad Bridge upstream to about 1,900 feet above the Oshkosh Congress Avenue Bridge and noted that the change would sit outside already posted no-wake buoy zones.

Staff and board members clarified that the amendment targets towable recreational activities (for example, towable boards and wakeboarding) and would not impose a blanket speed limit on powerboats. Parks staff also said the ordinance would go through the normal two-reading process at council if forwarded.

After discussion about frequency of the activities and impacts on nearby businesses that use the river, a motion to forward the proposed amendment was approved on a voice vote. The roll call recorded in the transcript shows Adam Davis, Miller, Baum, Maxt and Herman voting “Aye.”

The board directed staff to provide any nonconfidential updates and maps to the public record as the item proceeds to council review.