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skier hit shore, and (iii) 198'7 - PWC passed 10' from skier towed by wet bike and caught tow <br />rope, dragging skier under. Accidents are only officially �eported if they cause personal injury <br />or >$500 damage, thus swamps and capsizes are not generally reported. Owasso's accident <br />rate is typical for the county. Statewide in 1996, there were 129 non-fatal and 10-12 fatal <br />accidents; most fatalities are due to lack of a PFD on someone falling off a boat (KE). Non- <br />fatal collisions tend to be boat-boat or boat-fixed object. Collisions are usually due to <br />inattention, not congestion. Another dangerous time is operation in "transition mode" from <br />low speed to planing (KE). <br />Overall in MN, accidents are down from highs in 1957 and 1969; 1996 was the lowest. <br />6. Discuss the locations, type, and level of water surface use of other public water bodies in the county or <br />metro area. Is trailer parking at (or near) all these locations based on the same use/acre formula? How many <br />seasonal slaloms and jumps are located in other lakes? <br />(also see 4). The DNR guideline of 20A/boat entering via public access is not based on <br />safety, but on a"social carrying capacity" defined in the 1970's. This capacity assumes 1 <br />boat/10A, i.e., 50% of use is via public access. Trailer parking is used to control public use. <br />(KE). Owasso is 349 acres; there are 10 trailer spots at the launch and at least 10 at the county <br />log (NQ). However, tickets to trailers parked outside the marked trailer parking area in the <br />county lot on N. Owasso might not hold up in court since the entire lot is public (DB). <br />These county lakes have seasonal slalom courses: 1 each on Little Goose, Gervais, <br />Island, Turtle, Owasso; 2 on Rochenau. Bald Eagle and White Bear have slaloms for several <br />weeks, Keller has a temporary course. <br />7. What user conflicts do you perceive on Owasso? How can this best be studied? <br />The primary conflicts reported to DB are between property owners and public, e.g., <br />violations of laws and property rights, disagreement about the no-wake ordinance. Some <br />reports are of boaters getting too close to skiers. <br />8. What type of water surface activities ar type of user generate the most complaints? Enforceable citations? <br />Is there a record of resolved and unresolved complaints about both general and permitted use? Do complaints <br />affect enforcement or permitting? <br />DB had no information on offenders re their type of activity/use or means of entry <br />(public/private). Property owners vs. public-type complaints are most common (DB). <br />Common early-season violations include improper registration and lack of PFD's; lakeshore <br />boaters are often negligent (KE). Other citations include unsafe skiing, careless operation, <br />BUI, lack of navigation lights and no-wake violations (DB). Warnings are effective for <br />changing behavior and they may shift offenders off the lake. Repeat violators get cited. Water <br />patrol officers are scheduled to patrol specific lakes so they get to know a lake, its users and <br />past offenders. Violation patterns can be established from the complaint record, whether or not <br />they are enforceable (DB). Also see 20. <br />Obvious violations of no-wake distances are most often upheld in court. Radar is enor- <br />prone on lakes and makes citations for speeding easy to challenge. See 10. <br />DB does not deal with complaints about seasonal installations and only makes a <br />determination of safety. Preferences of others have no bearing on his approval. The permit <br />application form requests signatures from the city also; thus far, cities have signed all <br />applications. <br />9. How and how often are noise and speed measured? Who are the offenders (boat type, activity)? <br />Usually boats receiving noise complaints don't exceed the dB limit unless they are grossly <br />in violation. Two new boat types, "over transom exhaust California drag" and the <br />"muscle/Miami Vice-type through transom exhaust single or triple twin" may exceed limits and <br />are most frequently found on Minnetonka or the rivers. <br />PWC's comprise 1/3 of all new US boat sales and they meet state noise limits (for all <br />boats). Problem behaviors such as sequential users, concentrated use, and wake jumping <br />2 <br />