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Pewaukee council adopts ordinance to let lake patrol enforce aerator rules without DNR warden
Summary
Council voted to adopt Ordinance 25‑14, matching state rules on winter aerators and authorizing local Lake Patrol to issue violations for improperly marked aerators so enforcement no longer requires waiting for Wisconsin DNR wardens.
Council members presented Ordinance 25‑14 after the Lake Advisory Committee and police partners raised safety concerns about unmarked winter aerators on Pewaukee Lake. A council member said that some homeowners had placed aerators too close to access points and failed to mark them, creating a hazard for ice‑area users and snowmobilers.
The ordinance mirrors state requirements on marking and placement. As one member summarized the intent: "We're basically taking the exact language that the state already has in place and bringing it down to the 3 local levels so that we are empowering our lake patrols to be able to write those violations without the help of the Wisconsin DNR." The council voted to waive the second reading and adopt the ordinance that night.
Council members said the change is intended to speed enforcement and reduce the delays that occur when lake patrol must wait for a DNR warden to respond. The ordinance will be considered across the three local communities that share Pewaukee Lake and aims to have the local enforcement in place before the winter season.
