SHARE THE LAKE
Personal watercraft not following the rules are seen as having the greatest impact on safety
followed by boats travelling at high speeds, power boats not following the rules, and large wakes.
Source: Safe Quiet Lakes
Slow Down
The speed limit is 9 km/h within 30m of shore, a boat, swimmer or paddleboard. For reference, 30m is about 1/2 the length of a hockey rink. It is the legal responsibility of boaters to know the rules. The absence of signage does not mean there is no speed limit.
Large boat wakes can lead to significant shoreline erosion. This doesn't just affect the landscape - Speeding boats and PWC's aren’t great for wildlife. Boat and PWC wakes disrupt loon, merganser and other waterfowl nests, swamp babies and even make them abandon our lake. Countless other species rely on calm, undisturbed waters.
Even at slow speeds you can create a large, damaging wake if your bow is riding high out of the water. When these waves reach shore, especially on small lakes, they can still be quite large, dramatically eroding shorelines, stirring up bottom sediments, and contributing to suspended nutrients in the water column, increasing the potential for algae blooms.
The Ontario Provincial Police patrol the lakes, including Echo Lake. Be sure you have the required safety equipment, obey the speed limits and don't drink and drive.
Reporting Boating Violations
If you see dangerous boating, the OPP wants to hear from you at 1-888-310-1122. For life-threatening emergencies call 9-1-1.
The OPP does follow up on reports of poor boater behaviour such as operating a boat while impaired or boating too close to swimmers or other boats, speeding, PWC "slaloming," operating at night without proper lights or any other behaviour that is unsafe or makes others feel unsafe.
The OPP does follow up on reports of poor boater behaviour such as operating a boat while impaired or boating too close to swimmers or other boats, speeding, PWC "slaloming," operating at night without proper lights or any other behaviour that is unsafe or makes others feel unsafe.
Photos and videos are best when submitting your report! Do your best to include the following information:
- Location
- Time
- Colour/make of boat
- License (ONXXXXX) or name ("Minnow II")
- Who is at the wheel
Watch Your Wake
It’s not just about the SIZE of a lake that matters, but the DEPTH of it. Echo Lake has a couple of deep spots but it’s mostly relatively shallow and when some boats stir up the silt at the bottom, it can hinder diving birds from finding food, and IF we are unfortunate to have a blue-green algae bloom (like we did in 2019), they can be broken up by boats and whatever metals, pesticides or other chemicals that MAY be in the sediment on our lake bed would also be released. Best to keep it all safe inside the sediment!
Boating in at least 10 feet of water for any activities that create a wake will reduce the chances of stirring up nutrient-rich sediment. That means fewer nutrients for algae and weeds to grow in our lake! That being said, WAKE BOATS should operate in water AT LEAST 20 feet.
The trouble with boat wakes
- Sediment can clog fish gills and suffocate fish eggs.
- They cause disturbance and destruction of bird nesting sites along shore. Bird nests can get swamped, and the young can drown.
- Wake may damage docks and docked boats.
- Shoreline property erodes.
- Wake may endanger swimmers or anglers.
- Large wakes can rock, swamp, or capsize other boats, paddle boards, kayaks, and canoes. Passengers may lose balance or fall overboard, leading to injury.
- Wake surfing also uproots vegetation, and destroys fish habitat.
What you can do
- Water-ski, tube, & wake-board well away from all shorelines. Try to make use of the entire length of the lake and find large water areas where wakes will diminish before reaching shore and where the propeller wash won’t scour the bottom. AND WATCH FOR LOONS, MERGANSERS AND OTHER FLOATING BIRDS (youngsters can’t dive and parents will stay with them, putting both in peril).
- Avoid small bays, channels, and enclosed areas.
- When slowing down, throttle back to idle for about 10 seconds.
- Wait for the bow to drop and your boat to level out before proceeding at the regulated speed.
- Look behind you to see & understand the impact of your wake on shorelines, docks, or other structures. Adjust your speed & direction to minimize the impact.
Click here to see how wake from different recreational boats affects lakebeds and the water column. The related underwater videos at the end of the overview provide dramatic evidence!
Please Be Quiet
In Safe Quiet Lake's 2025 Your Lakes, Your Views Survey Results, PWCs top the list of contributors to unwanted noise
Be cautious, courteous and respect your neighbours. Many people dislike the noise a PWC makes when it is operated for long periods of time at high speed in one place, especially when it is used to jump waves.
NOISE IS AMPLIFIED OVER WATER Try to keep your music and voices down to a reasonable level so you are not disturbing others.
Noise was among the most cited reasons for diminishing enjoyment at the lake and cottage in the 2025 Your Lakes, Your Views Survey conducted by Safe Quiet Lakes (new wake generating technology, and reckless boating behaviours were the other two major nuisances).