State approves personal watercraft ban for Lake Chauncy
By Ken Powers Community Reporter

Westborough - In October 2007 it became a town bylaw and earlier this month it became a state law: no personal watercraft of any kind is allowed on Lake Chauncy.

The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, as well as the Mass. Environmental Police branch of the Division of Law Enforcement, both signed off on a change in the Westborough town bylaw that governs rules and regulations for Lake Chauncy.

At its October 2007 Special Town Meeting, residents voted to add the following rule, listed as No. 20, to its bylaw for approved and unapproved uses for the lake:

"The operation of Jet Skis, surf jets and wet bikes, or any other personal watercraft is prohibited at all times. As used in this bylaw, 'personal watercraft' shall mean a vessel propelled by a water jet pump or other machinery as its primary source of motor propulsion, which is designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing or kneeling on the vessel, rather than being operated in the conventional manner by a person sitting or standing inside the vessel."

The bylaw goes into eff ect immediately and signs notifying lake users of the new ban will be posted at roadway and boat ramp entrances.

Westborough Police Chief Alan Gordon told voters at the Special Town Meeting that non-Westborough residents who were being banished from other waterways for using their personal watercraft irresponsibly were relocating to Lake Chauncy and riding their watercraft at excessive speeds and endangering boaters, kayakers and bathers.

"I was pleased to get the notification from the state," Gordon said. "Over the years we've gotten more and more complaints about the personal watercraft on the lake, not only in the form of neighbor complaints, but also from the Recreation Department director, [Frank DeSiata], who is hearing complaints from his lifeguards about the activities of these personal watercraft and the dangers they're creating and that they are possibly preventing them from doing their job to the best of their ability."

Gordon said the problem is really a two-pronged one, however.

"There's the safety issues being created by the improper operation of the personal watercraft, certainly," Gordon said, "but there's also the issue of these personal watercraft being used to transport people and items such as alcoholic beverages to the backside of the beach, to what's known as the Lyman School Beach, and holding large parties."

Gordon worked in the fall with the state's Fish and Wildlife Department, which controls the lake and the land around it since they are state property. The Fish and Wildlife Department informed the chief that, since the Lyman School Beach is within 400 feet of a town well, that only passive recreation, such as walking, is permitted.

"No parties are allowed, no bonfires, nothing like that," Gordon said. "They told me that people can walk through the property and walk their dogs on it, but that's about it."

In addition, the state told Gordon that his department has the authority to enforce not only the personal watercraft ban on the lake, but gatherings at the Lyman School Beach.

"I'm pretty confident that the personal watercraft ban will put a stop to any activity at the Lyman School Beach," Gordon said, "but it's good to know that if a problem does arise, we have jurisdiction to act on it and enforce the law."