YOU ARE probably spending this weekend near the ocean or a lake. You could be sitting on a pier or a bulkhead fishing, or even canoeing on a placid body of water and inevitably the serenity of the situation will be disturbed by someone buzzing past you on a jet ski.
Besides your ears, and maybe even your fishing, the Izaak Walton League has recently put out a report that says these personal watercrafts (PWCs) could have harmful and far-reaching effects on water and air quality, as well as aquatic life, wildlife and their habitat.
The report, “Caught in the wake: The Environmental and Human Health Impacts of Personal Watercraft,” describes the destructive impacts of PWC use on America’s natural resources and examines the human health and safety concerns raised by these vehicles.
Communities nationwide are just beginning to understand the effects of PWC pollution on their waterways. Powered by a two-cycle engine – one of the worst polluting internal combustion engines, according to the IWLA – a PWC produces in one day of use the same amount of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides as a 1998 passenger car driven 100,000 miles.
The report goes on to say that they spill up to one-third of their fuel, unburned, leaking an estimated 165 million gallons into America’s waters each year. That is 15 times more oil than was produced by the Exxon Valdez spill. On some lakes, the report says, PWCs may produce 90 percent of pollutants though they use only about 10 percent of the gasoline burned by boats on the lake.
“It is time to enact reasonable controls on PWCs to ensure that they don’t threaten our drinking water and natural resources,” said Paul Hansen, IWLA executive director. “The Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for marine engines call for 70 percent emissions and reductions by 2006. But technology exists – and in fact is in use in Europe – that would enable companies right now to build engines at least 80 percent cleaner at minimal cost.”
PWCs can be dangerous, they impact wildlife, and they disrupt others enjoyment of the outdoors. Their design allows for speeds up to 70 mph and maneuverability that often causes aggressive and unsafe behavior.
These jet skis make up nine percent of all registered boats, says the report, but are involved in 26 percent of boating accidents and 46 percent of boating injuries. The report adds that the vehicles’ shallow draft allows them to penetrate nesting areas and shallow waters where the most vulnerable aquatic life dwells. Their high decibel noise and spray have been found to disturb wildlife, especially nesting birds, as well as others such as canoeists and anglers.
PWC use, although a fairly new activity, already occurs on many waterways in America’s most treasured and protected public lands. They are used in 32 of the 87 National Park System units that allow motorized boating. Of those 32 units, 27 have reported some kind of problem with PWC’s, including speeding and significant harm to air and water quality, wildlife and tranquility.
“We don’t wish to ban PWCs outright,” said IWLA Conservation associate Laurie Martin. “But the situation is getting serious. We must address the pollution, wildlife and safety impacts of PWC use on outdoor America before it is too late.”
The IWLA released the report on Friday, and will make it available on their web site at http://www.iwla.org/conserv/reports/pwc.html.