Weeds from this weekend

[4 for Boating]

So I know there was a lot of boat traffic this weekend given the weather but a potential fall out was a sea of weeds floating around > see enclosed example. More than I have seen in some years. So 2 things, 1. Our home seems to be a catch all for anything floating if the wind is right. 2. The strange thing is this weed in particular (Quillwort I believe) is not something that would typically be dislodged by waves - even big one's I think. If you have this stuff, it's like glued to the bottom. Wondering where all this is coming from and how. Maybe shallow water where props are?

[DEJ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp6gHrqJwo0

This video might explain what you are seeing.

[retired]

Excellent video. We saw that same grass on Monday in West Alton. I suspect it could also come from large i/o boats taking off too close to shore.

[trashman]

Excellent info in that video. Thanks for sharing.

[4 for Boating]

Very interesting video and striking in some way.

For our own particular situation, while its hard to say where the weeds originated from and how far they floated, I can say we do see wake boats zipping around most time at dusk but typically in what I would view as deep water > 40'.

My guess is boats docked or moored in shallow water - but who knows.

[fatlazyless]

Here's an August 7, 2025 video ..... www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp6gHrqJwo0 .... on wake surfing stirring up the lake bottom, 4:20-length made by Fox 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul on Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota. Lake Minnetonka has 14,528-acres and is located about 16-miles west of Minneapolis.

Some quotes from this video:

"It is significant. Boats are getting bigger and so that energy is going into the water and impacting the water column and the lake bed."

"You get quite a bit of a disruption, erosion, re-suspension of material and even damage to vegetation. It's like a bomb goes off and that's a really big damage .... aquatic plant communities are fragile."

"They recommend that wakeboats should only operate in surfing mode in waters that are 20-feet deep or greater to minimize impact on the lake bed."

"wakeboats adversely impact lakes ..... releasing nutrients like phosphorous .... leading to excessive algae growth"

[codeman671]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Here's an August 7, 2025 video ..... www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp6gHrqJwo0 .... on wake surfing stirring up the lake bottom, 4:20-length made by Fox 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul on Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota. Lake Minnetonka has 14,528-acres and is located about 16-miles west of Minneapolis.

Some quotes from this video:

"It is significant. Boats are getting bigger and so that energy is going into the water and impacting the water column and the lake bed."

"You get quite a bit of a disruption, erosion, re-suspension of material and even damage to vegetation. It's like a bomb goes off and that's a really big damage .... aquatic plant communities are fragile."

"They recommend that wakeboats should only operate in surfing mode in waters that are 20-feet deep or greater to minimize impact on the lake bed."

"wakeboats adversely impact lakes ..... releasing nutrients like phosphorous .... leading to excessive algae growth"

This video has been circulated and commented on plenty of times online. It was a dramatization. You don’t surf in 9-14 feet of water which is what this video is based on. I usually run in 40’+. Sometimes I get into the 30’s but that’s not my goal. You can’t build any type of real wave in under 20’. Let us responsible people have our sport and just nail the ones that aren’t in compliance with the law. We aren’t all careless, reckless and inconsiderate.

[fatlazyless]

From north-western Connecticut, Lake Waramaug ... www.ctparks.com/parks/lake-waramaug-state-park .... a 656-acre lake in parts of Kent, Warren, and Washington with average depth of 22.1 feet, named after Chief Waramaug .... www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waramaug

WFSB-3, July 25, 2025 ..... www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4_M_QVKgaQ&t=5s ....... has a 2:36 tv news video with a number of local people interviewed.

While 656-acre Lake Waramaug cannot be compared similarly to 45,440-acre Lake Winnipesaukee the video highlights the passionate opinions of the local lake residents.

http://www.lakevillejournal.com/wake...-voted-through ....... August 1, 2025; by a vote of 1452 residents to 421 residents a ban on wake surfing was passed with a fine of $250/infraction.

Will something like this ever come to Lake Winnipesaukee? Probably never-ever-never because Lake Winnipesaukee is like the wake surfing capital of New England with many local marinas selling wake boats. On September 1, 2021 the State of New Hampshire enacted a wake surfing law that bans it at night, requires an observer to be onboard, and requires the wake surfer to be wearing a pfd.

Found this four hour video, August 2, 2025, from Melvin Village, Tuftonboro area on Lake Winnipesaukee ...... www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBKV9mje0Q0 ...... 2025 Winnipesaukee Wake Surf Open with no audio, just the video but it all looks like a variation on water skiing, just people having some fun on boats out on the lake getting towed with a line attached to the boat or riding a wake with no line attached and balancing themselves while riding a wake board ...... so where's the harm ......... looks like a heck of a lotta water balance challenge and fun?