[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the
Town of Trenton 11-7-1989 as Title 9, Ch. 4 of the 1989 Code. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Parks and recreation — See Ch. 289.
The provisions of this chapter shall apply to
the waters and ice of all of the lakes or portions thereof within
the jurisdiction of the Town of Trenton, Washington County, Wisconsin,
and those portions of Wallace Lake within the jurisdiction of the
Town of Barton in said county and state.
[Amended 11-18-2014 by Ord. No. 2014.11.02]
A.
The provisions of this chapter shall be enforced by the officers
of the Town of Trenton and/or the Washington County Sheriff's
department.
[Amended 11-18-2014 by Ord. No. 2014.11.02]
No person shall deposit, place or throw from
any boat, vehicle, raft, pier, platform, structure or shore any cans,
paper, bottles, debris, refuse, garbage, or solid or liquid waste
on or into the water or ice of the lake.
No persons shall drive or park any vehicle upon
the ice of any lake except as hereinafter provided:
A.
Emergency vehicles. Vehicles required to perform emergency
services or construction work may be driven or parked on the ice for
the sole purpose of performing such services or construction, provided
that the prior written approval of the Town Board having jurisdiction
of the area adjacent to the place where such vehicle is to be used
shall have been obtained.
B.
Ice fishing. Vehicles used for ice fishing shelter
when driven to the location from the shore and returned by the shortest
route and vehicles required to tow an ice fishing shelter or shack
onto the ice at the beginning and end of the season.
C.
Skating area. Vehicles used to clear snow from ice
for skating area.
Any person operating, using or parking any motor-driven
vehicle designed to travel over snow or ice shall be permitted to
use the ice surface of the lake only subject to the following regulations
and provisions:
A.
Lighting equipment. No such vehicle shall be operated
on the iced surface of the lake between the hours of sunset and sunrise
unless such vehicle is equipped with at least one operating headlight
and at least one operating taillight.
B.
Other equipment. No person shall operate any such
vehicle on the iced surface of the lake unless such vehicle is equipped
with a fully operating muffler so as to prevent excessive or unusual
noise at all times the motor is in operation.
C.
Traffic rules. No person operating such vehicle on
the iced surface of the lake shall operate such vehicle within 25
feet of any person ice fishing, except at a speed of less than five
miles per hour.
D.
Speed regulations. No person shall operate any such
vehicle on the iced surface of the lake at a speed greater than 25
miles per hour. The operator shall, at all times, operate such vehicle
at a speed so controlled as to avoid colliding with any object or
person lawfully on the ice of the lake.
E.
Hours of operation. No person shall operate any such
vehicle upon the ice of the lake between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and
8:00 a.m., and during the hours between sunset and 10:00 p.m. such
vehicles shall be operated at a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour
and in a manner as to reduce noise to the extent practical.
A.
No person shall operate any such vehicle on the iced
surface of the lake while under the influence of drugs or intoxicating
beverages or in a careless, negligent or reckless manner so as to
endanger the life, person or property of another.
B.
No person in charge or control of such a vehicle is
authorized to permit the vehicle to be operated by any person who,
by reason of physical or mental disability or the use of drugs or
intoxicating beverages, is incapable of safely operating such vehicle.
C.
No person shall operate such vehicle in a circular
course around any other vehicle or person unless such circular course
has a radius of at least 200 feet from such vehicle or person.
D.
No person shall use such vehicles on the iced surface
of the lake for any races, contests of speed against time, obstacle
courses, jumping courses or other similar activities.
E.
No person shall operate, direct or handle such a vehicle
in a manner so as to unreasonably annoy, unnecessarily frighten or
endanger the occupants of his vehicle or other vehicle or person lawfully
on the lake.
[Added 6-2-2020 by Ord.
No. 2020.05.01[1]]
A.
Declaration of intent. It is declared that the purpose of this section
shall be to further the public interest, welfare, and safety in the
operation of watercrafts on the waters of Wallace Lake within the
Town's jurisdiction.
B.
Definitions.
(1)
Statutory definitions. The definitions in Ch. 30, Wis. Stats., are
incorporated herein by reference.
(2)
PERSON
WATERSKIING and WATER-SKIER
WATER TRAFFIC
Additional definitions. The following definitions shall also be applicable
in this chapter:
Includes any individual, firm, partnership, corporation,
company, association or body politic, except the state and duly authorized
law enforcement officers, and includes any agent, trustee, executor,
receiver, assignor or other similar representative thereof.
Being towed or the one being towed, respectively, on water
skis, inflatable, aquaplane, or some similar device, by a motorboat,
jet ski, jet boat or other watercraft capable of towing same.
All moving objects controlled by man or his agencies on the
surface of the lakes.
C.
State laws adopted. Except as otherwise specifically provided, the
statutory provisions in §§ 30.50 to 30.71, Wis. Stats.,
and rules of the Department of Natural Resources enacted pursuant
to those statutory provisions, describing and defining regulations
with respect to boating laws, exclusive of any regulations for which
the statutory penalty is a fine or term of imprisonment, are adopted
and by reference made a part of this chapter as if fully set forth.
Any act required to be performed or prohibited by any statute incorporated
in this section by reference is required or prohibited by this chapter.
Any future amendments, revisions or modifications of the laws incorporated
in this section are intended to be made part of this chapter in order
to secure uniform statewide regulation of boating in the state.
D.
Hours of operation. No person shall operate any motorboat upon the
waters of Wallace Lake in the Town at more than idling-in-gear speed
during the hours from sunset or 6:30 p.m., whichever is earlier, until
10:00 a.m. of the next following day.
E.
Restricted speed. No person may operate a motorboat on Wallace Lake
at a speed in excess of 30 miles per hour as posted by established
regulatory marker.
F.
Traffic flow. No person shall operate a motor-driven boat in other
than a counterclockwise direction on Wallace Lake except at idling
speeds. All persons in control of boats entering at public launch
ramps shall depart in a counterclockwise direction.
G.
Waterskiing or tubing. No more than one line shall be towed at a
time for towing of waterskis, aquaplane, tube, or similar device.
Maximum two persons allowed on a device that is designed by the manufacturer
to hold more than one person.
H.
Swimming.
(1)
No person shall swim in the traffic lane unless he is accompanied
by a manned boat for each swimmer.
(2)
No person shall swim in the traffic lane between one hour after sunset
and one hour before sunrise unless the accompanying boat is properly
lighted.
(3)
All beaches used by the public shall be identified by markers placed
on the outer perimeter thereof by the riparian owner; said markers
are to be of a size no smaller than a thirty-gallon drum securely
fastened by a chain heavy enough to keep the markers in place and
painted as required by state law.
(4)
All boats are prohibited from entering such swimming beach, except
a boat used by a lifeguard or safety patrol unit.
I.
Aircraft. It shall be unlawful for any aircraft, whether designed
for taking off or landing on water or not, to use any part of any
of the lakes, the activities on which this chapter regulates, for
landing or taking off, except in the case of emergency.
J.
Emergency declaration; slow-no-wake orders.
(1)
Declaration of emergency. During periods of abnormally high lake
levels, the Town Chairman, Town Police Chief of his/her/their designee
is authorized and directed to declare a high-lake-water emergency
for Wallace Lake. Factors to be considered in declaring an emergency
may be weather forecasts, shoreline erosion, neighborhood concerns,
historical data, Department of Natural Resources information and other
variables.
(2)
Orders. During high-lake-water emergencies, the Town Chairman, Police
Chief or designee is authorized and directed to issue slow-no-wake
orders for Wallace Lake. Copies of such orders shall be posted at
all public and private landings. When lake levels have returned to
normal levels, the Town Chairman, Police Chief or designee shall declare
a cessation of the high-level emergency and rescind the slow-no-wake
order.
(3)
"Slow-no-wake" defined. "Slow-no-wake" shall mean that speed at which
a boat moves as slowly as possible while still maintaining steerage
control.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed former § 254-7, Definitions, as amended; § 254-9, Speed restrictions, as amended; § 254-10, Water-skiing, as amended; § 254-11, Swimming; § 254-12, Aircraft; § 254-13, State boating and water safety laws adopted; and § 254-14, Emergency declaration; slow-no-wake orders, added 11-18-2014 by Ord. No. 2014.11.02.
[Added 6-2-2020 by Ord.
No. 2020.05.01]
A.
Enforcement procedures. This chapter shall be enforced in accordance
with the applicable provisions of the Wisconsin Statutes and this
section.
B.
Boating citations. Citations will be distributed in accordance with
§ 800.02(2)(b), Wis. Stats.
C.
Penalty for boating violations. The penalty for boating violations shall have a forfeiture of $50 for the first offense, $100 for the second offense, and $150 for the third and subsequent offenses of the same violation within a twelve-month period for all violations except for boating under the influence violations in § 254-8D.
D.
Boating under the influence. The penalty for boating under the influence
shall have a forfeiture of $150 for the first offense, $250 for the
second offense, and $350 for the third and subsequent offense regardless
of time period between offenses.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 254-8, Traffic lanes
and anchorages, as amended, was repealed 11-18-2014 by Ord. No. 2014.11.02.
[Added 6-2-2020 by Ord.
No. 2020.05.01]
A.
Purpose. The purpose of § 254-9 is to set parking restrictions for the use of the public boat launch used to access Wallace Lake, located on River Road, Town of Trenton, to restrict the use of the parking indicated by regulatory posted signage.
(1)
No parking for all vehicles along the south side of the boat launch
and driveway access.
(2)
Parking for vehicles with trailers for boats for boating purposes,
or vehicles without trailers used to carry nonmotorized boats for
boating purposes, only along the north side of the boat launch and
access driveway.
[Added 6-2-2020 by Ord.
No. 2020.05.01]
Violation of § 254-9 can and will result in the imposition of penalties according to § 368-19D(2).
