Wakeboarding Banned At Lake Waramaug After Community Vote

Good for you Washington, Kent, and Warren voters, you've succeeded with your movement to protect Lake Waramaug in your towns from the scourge of those pesky wakeboarders in your tranquil towns.

According to protectlakewaramaug.org, on July 31, 2025 almost 1,900 residents of Kent, Washington, and Warren voiced their opinion on whether or not to ban the practice of wakeboarding. The results? It was a 3 to 1 win in favor of the ban. The final totals were 1,452 in favor of the ban, and 421 voting against.

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To the outside eye (Mine) you might say what's the harm? These are just people enjoying themselves being pulled by a boat, right? But the issues go deeper, and that's one of the main reasons that this issue has garnered so much attention. According to protectlakewaramaug.org, the lake isn't large enough or deep enough to handle such boating activity.

Can Wake Surfing Erode Ecosystems and Cause Damage?

This is where I actually do have some experience with this topic. My in-laws own a house on a lake in New Hampshire, and although it is much larger than Lake Waramaug, my family does have to deal with the repercussions of erosion that 4-5 foot waves can cause, and the noise that these powerful boats can emit.

This is not just a problem in Connecticut, there are over 300 lakes across the country that have banned wake surfing across the country according to protectlakewaramaug.org. What's next? I'm guessing that the marinas on Candlewood Lake will have a spike in slip rentals in 2026?