Zoar Marine Patrol Looks Forward

To A Busy Weekend

By Andrew Gorosko

The Lake Zoar Marine Police are gearing up for Labor Day Weekend, which may be, weather permitting, the busiest weekend of the boating season on Lake Zoar, an 11-mile long impoundment on the Housatonic River created by Stevenson Dam.

Headquartered in a new office in the basement of the VFW building in the Lakeside section of Southbury, the marine police conduct weekend patrols of the lake north to Shepaug Dam and south to Stevenson Dam. The marine police’s two 19-foot patrol boats are kept at a marina near their headquarters.

Lake Zoar Marine Police Chief Joseph L. Steinfeld of Sandy Hook has been with the law enforcement agency since 1987. The Lake Zoar Authority, which oversees public use of the lake, was formed in 1972.

“It’s come a long way,” Chief Steinfeld said, displaying an aquatic radar speed unit now used by the marine police.

The marine police position a patrol boat near shore from which they check the speed of passing boats with the aquatic radar gun. The lake’s daytime speed limit is 45 mph. The nighttime speed limit is 25 mph. This is the first boating season that the marine police have used radar to monitor boating speeds.

The two marine police patrol boats are docked at a point midway between Stevenson Dam and Shepaug Dam, allowing the police easy access to points north and south on the lake, Chief Steinfeld said. Each of the two boats has a crew of two. One person on board is a marine policeman and the other is a safety patrol officer, who pilots the boat. The boats patrol at between 6 and 10 knots so that officers can get a good look at the waterway as they travel. Lake Zoar borders Newtown, Southbury, Monroe, and Oxford.

The Lake Zoar Marine Police has a roster of 10 marine policemen and five safety patrol officers. Patrols take place on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as some weekday evenings during the boating season, which runs from mid-May until late September, and into October, when there is an Indian summer.

Boaters are better informed about the rules and regulations of boating than they were several years ago due to a state educational program on boater safety, Chief Steinfeld said.

Cases of drunken boating on Lake Zoar have decreased since a restaurant on the lake near Stevenson Dam closed for business several years ago, he said.

The most typical boating problems on Lake Zoar concern speeding, failure to wear life preservers, and failure to have observers in boats that tow water skiers, he said.

The enforcement actions the marine police take depend on the situation, Chief Steinfeld noted.

“We like to use discretion,” Chief Steinfeld said, noting that verbal warnings are the most common enforcement action. If verbal warnings are not sufficient, written warnings are given. Infraction tickets are issued in more serious cases. If needed, the marine police call in Southbury police for emergency backup help.

Due to the unseasonably cool weather this summer, boating traffic has been lighter than normal, Chief Steinfeld said.

“This season has been unusually slow due to the inclement weather,” he noted.

Extensive rain and cloud cover this summer resulted in the lake water being cooler than normal, discouraging the lake’s recreational users from taking to Zoar’s waters.

Safety First

Master Sergeant William Cannon finds his work with the marine police rewarding.

“We’re involved in several different aspects [of law enforcement]. The first and the foremost is the safety aspect,” he said.

The marine police want Lake Zoar to be as safe as possible for fishermen, water skiers, boaters, tubers, and jet skiers, he said. The marine police continually remove debris from the lake to eliminate navigational hazards.

“We’re here to prevent boating accidents [and] boating incidents,” he said. Good enforcement prevents boating accidents and incidents from happening, he noted.

“We’re achieving our mission, which is safety,” Sgt Cannon said.

Considering the size of Lake Zoar and the number of boats that use it, there are few accidents on its waters, Sgt Cannon said.

“We assist those who use the lake for the first time, who have no knowledge of the lake,” he said. The marine police provide maps and safety information to boaters.

Sgt Cannon estimates that the marine police make about six contacts per hour with Lake Zoar users from each of their two patrol boats while on patrol. Each marine police officer is a certified police officer working either part-time or full-time in a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency, he said.

One of the main attractions of Lake Zoar is its bass fishing.

The bass found in Lake Zoar attract fishermen from Northeastern states including New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, Sgt Cannon said. “It’s a very excellent fresh water lake… It’s excellent fishing. That’s why they come from all over,” he said.

Many bass fishing tournaments are conducted at the lake from June through September.

It is not unusual for bass weighing more than five pounds to be taken from Lake Zoar. Also, some trout find their way into its waters, traveling down into Zoar from the trout-stocked tributaries that feed into the lake.