Few happy with personal watercraft rules

The National Park Service will allow PWC use in 21 national parks

By Environmental News Network staff

March 27, 2000
Web posted at: 1:26 p.m. EST (1826 GMT)

The National Park Service Tuesday announced new rules governing the use of personal watercraft in the national park system. Some environmental groups say the rules, which go into effect April 20, don't go far enough to protect the parks' natural resources and serenity.

"The park service has admitted that jet skis pollute the air and water, harass wildlife and interfere with other visitors, yet they still propose to allow most use to continue," said Tom Kiernan, president of National Parks and Conservation Association..

NPCA and the Bluewater Network are considering a lawsuit against the NPS to protect the parks.

On the other hand, PWC users say the rule is unfair. "We have always believed that PWC use belongs in some areas, but not others," said Larry Lambrose, executive director of the Personal Watercraft Industry Association. "It is disappointing that the NPS has, for the most part, heeded the unsubstantiated views of a few extremist groups whose agenda is to restrict all recreational activities from national parks. The PWIA is, however, looking forward to working with those NPS units which still allow PWC use."

PWCs are not motorboats. They are small vessels, usually less than 16 feet long, that use an inboard motor powering a water jet pump as its primary source of power. Operators can sit, stand or kneel on the vessels that are designed for high speed and maneuverability. They are commonly called jet skis, waverunners, wavejammers, wetjets, sea-doos, wetbikes, and surf jets.

The final rule, published in the Federal Register, prohibits PWC in national park areas, except where the park service determines this type of recreation is appropriate. Such decisions are based on several factors including the legislation creating the park or recreational area, the area's resources and values, other visitor uses and overall management activities.

Board sailors at Curecanti National Recreation Area in Colorado will have to share the waters with PWC

The NPS rule outlines two methods for authorizing PWC use. The first method, called Park Designated PWC use, is available for 10 national recreation areas Amistad, Texas; Bighorn Canyon, Montana; Chickasaw, Oklahoma; Curecanti, Colorado; Gateway, New York; Glen Canyon, Arizona/Utah; Lake Mead, Arizona/Nevada; Lake Meredith, Texas; Lake Roosevelt, Washington; and the Whiskeytown/Shasta-Trinity complex in California. The park superintendent has final authority over PWC use within each of these parks.

"This is a very casual, informal process that doesn't allow public comment, environmental analysis and doesn't consider conflicts with other uses," said Kevin Collins of NPCA.

The NPS says PWC use was approved for the 10 parks because water-related recreation was a primary purpose for establishing those parks. Nine of the park areas contain manmade lakes created by dams and one park area has open ocean and bay waters.

"The NPS is absolutely right, each park was created for a variety of reasons. Many of the parks have the word recreation in their legislation. But there's also language that says valuable natural areas should be protected," said Collins. "When it says recreation it doesn't mean any type of recreation. This is not a type of recreation connected to a specific park in any way. Jet skis are fun but all you really need is a body of water."

The second method, Special Regulation rulemaking through the Federal Register, will allow PWC use to continue in 11 national park units for two years while the NPS decides if their use should be regulated. The public will have a chance to comment on the decision at the end of the two-year grace period. Until then, superintendents will be able to authorize, manage and restrict PWC use in seven national seashores: Assateague, Maryland/Virginia; Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Cape Lookout, North Carolina; Cumberland Island, Georgia; Fire Island, New York; Gulf Islands, Florida/Mississippi; and Padre Island, Texas.

"PWC will be unregulated for two years in truly pristine natural environments, places that are the epitome of a national park, like Cumberland National Seashore in Georgia," said Collins. "This rule doesn't help in any way."

Lake Meredith, an artificial lake created by Sanford Dam on the Canadian River in Texas, will continue to allow PWC use. Two national lakeshores Indiana Dunes, Indiana and Pictured Rocks, Michigan as well as the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Pennsylvania/New Jersey and Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas are also included in the grace period.

PWC use is already prohibited at Yellowstone and Everglades national parks as well as Buffalo National River in Arkansas and Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Missouri.

Several areas will be closed to PWC use as a result of the new rule, including six national parks: Biscayne, Florida; Isle Royal, Michigan; Glacier, Montana; Olympic, Washington; Grand Canyon, Arizona; and Canyonlands, Utah. The closure list also includes two National Seashores (Canaveral, Florida and Cape Hatteras, North Carolina), two National Lakeshores (Apostle Islands, Wisconsin and Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan), Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California and St. Croix National Scenic Riverway in Wisconsin/Minnesota.

PWC emit as many pollutants in two hours as a 1998 passenger car emits while traveling 100,000 miles, according to NPCA. According to studies from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, two-stroke engines like those used in PWC discharge 25 to 30 percent of their unburned fuel into the water.

Some environmentalists would like to see PWC banned in all national parks and even the service has concluded that PWC use is inappropriate in most areas of the national park system and appropriate in only a small number of areas.

Prior to release of the proposed rule, PWC use dramatically increased in 32 of the 87 units of the National Park System that allow motorized boating.

According to Lambrose, the rule is about yesterday's problems, not today's products. Since 1996, the PWC industry has developed new technologies, leading to a more than 50 percent reduction in sound and emissions, according to PWIA. The industry plans to improve PWC technology even more and is in steady compliance with EPA rules, which require a 75 percent reduction in emissions by 2006.

"As PWC become cleaner and quieter, we hope the NPS will take another look at allowing PWC in more areas, " said Lambrose. "In the meantime, we look forward to working with the NPS to ensure safe and responsible PWC use in areas which allow the activity."

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The final rule on PWC use
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Bluewater Network
The Personal Watercraft Industry Association

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