A bill requiring boaters to pay a fee to help cover the cost of combating invasive aquatic plants has been signed into law. The measure imposes a $5 fee for Connecticut residents and a $20 fee for out-of-state individuals who register vessels intended to operate on state waters. Danbury state Representative Ken Gucker says some of the funding could be used for education to alert boaters about the law.
New Fairfield Inland Wetlands Commissioner Carolyn Rowan testified on the bill during a public hearing that the only scientific way of monitoring for zebra mussels is through West Conn students.
Right now the only Eurasian Water Milfoil controls on Candlewood are deep drawdowns and sterile grass carp. New Fairfield Selectman Khris Hall testified during a public hearing that Candlewood's owner switched from an independent consultant to one using less data so they're not sure what they'll get out of the mapping. She says having outside money would help them to define the problem and how best to deal with it. Rowan says town beaches have to be weeded by divers every year at a great expense. Lakefront homeowners go through big expenses to rid their dock and swim areas of milfoil.
Rowan says invasive weeds can get tangled in people's boats, damaging their vessels. She added that property values are contingent on the health of the lake. Rowan says people can't sell their homes along certain coves because they are filled with milfoil and unusable for recreation.
The General Assembly's Office of Fiscal Analysis estimates the fee will generate approximately $400,000, to be used by Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for various invasive species programs, including grants for research on managing state lakes, rivers and ponds. A one-time $50,000 cost would establish the program.
An amendment to the law, offered by New Fairfield Representative Richard Smith, is meant to improve quality of life for residents living around Candlewood Lake. Any environmental conservation police officer of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection was given the authority to enforce noise ordinances on the waters of any municipality that abuts Candlewood Lake. If there are different noise ordinances in the towns, En Con officers can enforce the one that establishes the most restrictive standard for noise.
Municipalities are not required to adopt a noise ordinance under this bill. DEEP is not required to hire additional personnel to enforce the local ordinances.
Smith says this was prompted by a group of boaters who tend to group together and blast music, not far from the shoreline. He says that not only has become a nuisance for other lake users around them, but also residents who have to close their windows during the summer.
