About 30 minutes into a July 23 Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) information session related to a permit renewal for a water skiing slalom course on Lake Zoar, it became clear that most attendees were enthusiastically supporting the measure.

Those supporters included James Dupee and Dave Hanson, who both have been skiing the slalom course since it was first installed in 1978.

They drove to the Municipal Center from West Haven to chat with DEEP permit applicant and Lake Zoar Slalom Club principle Dan O’Donnell in the hope that the permit would soon be approved so they could get back out on the water, zig-zagging through the course like they had been doing since they were teenagers.

Mr O’Donnell and Bridge End Farm Lane neighbor Anthony Buzzanca, who installed the course himself in 1977, along with local residents Todd Martin, Gregg Franzino, and Todd Gray told The Newtown Bee a valid permit for the course was approved in 1990. But Peter Francis of the DEEP’s Boating Division said there was no current permit in place, or it may have been lost or misfiled.

“As far as DEEP is concerned, this will be the first authorization to have this course in place,” Mr Francis explained. “There appears to be no current permit on record that we know of, or we couldn’t find one.”

Either way, the agency is requesting Mr O’Donnell go through the process to receive a new permit for the course. That process included appearing at the information session this week, which also drew a number of residents who expressed via a punch board concerns ranging from boating safety and use conflicts to noise and angler access.

The applicant, who resides adjacent to the course at 12 Bridge End Farm Lane, is technically seeking authorization to place a marked course for water skiing on the waters of the state. Specifically, the applicant proposes to place that marked regulation slalom course along the west shore of Lake Zoar in Newtown each year from May 1 to October 31.

Any interested person was invited to attend the public meeting to speak with the applicant and DEEP officials and present their views concerning the proposed slalom course by completing a hand-written memo or by using blue and red dot stickers to prioritize their concerns on a poster board lined with columns reflecting various concerns — or indicating they had no concerns about the permit.

The applicant also brought several posters, one that illustrated the existing course, a second that illustrated the simple buoys and anchors that define the course, and a third that outlined the Lake Zoar Slalom Club course rules.

What Is A Slalom?

For those unfamiliar with this aspect of the sport, Mr Martin said that much like other sporting field configurations, a water skiing slalom course has fixed regulatory measurements that are designated by a set of detachable colored buoys anchored to the lake bottom by cables and placed approximately 115 feet from the shoreline.

Mr Martin said as the ski boat travels along one set of markers, the skier zig-zags around another set of buoys. Each time a skier successfully maneuvers through the course, his or her guide rope is shortened, making each subsequent trip faster and more difficult, “until they finally wipe out.”

Among the top local slalom club rules, as posted by Mr O’Donnell, is ultimate courtesy to other Lake Zoar users, including water skiers, anglers, boaters, and swimmers, as well as maintaining respect for the wildlife in and around the area. Safety is another major issue, and as such, a rear-facing spotter is always required to be on board when a skier is running the slalom.

Any participating boater must possess a current safe boating certification and must carry that certificate on board whenever the vessel is using the course.

If the permit is issued, Mr O’Donnell and club members and users may utilize the course from sunrise until 30 minutes past sunset between May 1 through October 31. Course buoys will be installed each year sometime before April 1 and must be removed by November 1.

Active club members are also required to endorse all rules, changes, and/or additions.

Mr Francis said that once and if the permit is issued, the permittee will be required to confirm to the DEEP every five years that the course layout remains unchanged.

“Some of us still ski competitively, so this is where we stay in shape for that,” Mr Martin said. “We’re just a bunch of private individuals who are passionate about skiing.”

Permittee Guidelines

According to the DEEP, all slalom permit seekers must conform to the following safety and environmental guidelines:

Safety guidelines:

*The water body shall have a surface area (excluding islands) of not less than 100 acres;

*The depth of water shall be sufficient for the proposed activity and not less than 6 feet. This includes any waters that may be traversed by the water-skier or vessel during the act of water-skiing;

*The minimum distance to the nearest shore, house, dock, observation platform, mooring, dam, any physical object, other permitted slalom course/jump, boat launch, swim area, or area of human activity from the water-skier or vessel during any phase of water-skiing shall be no less than 100 feet;

*There shall be no underwater cables or overhead wires anywhere in or adjacent to the proposed area of operation of the water-ski slalom course or jump;

*The proposed slalom course/jump site and adjacent waters shall not interfere with channels or historical lanes of traffic or traffic patterns.

Environmental guidelines:

*There shall be no inland or tidal wetlands within 200 feet of the proposed slalom course/jump and area of operation;

*There shall be no active bald eagle or osprey nesting sites on or adjacent to the body of water on which the slalom course or jump is to be placed;

*The slalom course/jump and its associated operations area shall be located at least 300 feet from any known waterfowl nesting areas;

*There shall be no fish spawning or nursery grounds within 50 feet of the proposed slalom course/jump and its area of operation;

*The proposed activity shall not preclude existing recreational use;

*Areas sensitive to shoreline erosion shall be avoided.

A map of the proposed water skiing course location may be viewed on the DEEP Boating Web site at ct.gov/deep/boating.

Interested parties who did not attend the information session may still express their views in writing no later than August 1 by letter or e-mail to R. Michael Payton at DEEP Boating Division, PO Box 280, Old Lyme, CT 06371-0280 or mike.payton@ct.gov.