Chickahominy Lake to remain water-ski free zone after NK supervisors reject repeal

An eight-month battle over repealing an ordinance to allow water-skiing on Chickahominy Lake has come to an end with the restriction remaining intact.

New Kent supervisors defeated repealing of the 37 year old ordinance at their Feb. 8 regular board meeting by a 4-1 vote. Only District 2 representative Tommy Tiller favored striking down the law.

In July 2015, residents Daniel Moore and Jonathan Edmonds addressed county leaders on the aforementioned issue. According to the two, Chickahominy Lake is the only lake in Virginia that does not allow water-skiing.

For the next few months, the two continuously addressed the board, mentioning reasons why the ban should be lifted. Viewpoints included a conflict of interest by then supervisor Ed Allen Jr., as well as the body of water being public domain and not owned by the county or citizens. After an initial denial for a public hearing last September, a second attempt for the gathering was approved in December, culminating in 26 speakers at the February meeting.

County administrator Rodney Hathaway reiterated the ordinance, but said there was uncertainty on why it was established.

“There is no documentation from the minutes on why this ordinance was put in place,” Hathaway commented. “But according to talking with the residents, it was to preserve fishing activities and the environmental habitat.”

Of the 26 speakers, 18 favored repealing the law to allow the recreational activity to take place on the lake.

“The restriction isn’t fair for those who want to water-ski,” said Sarah Lisi. “If I want to teach my kids how to water-ski or wakeboard, I rather do it on non-tidal waters.”

“Safety is the first thing that is taught to water-skiers,” commented William Martyn. “I can’t think of one good reason not to allow water-skiing on the lake.”

“This issue is invalid because it’s a public waterway,” chimed in Blair Oliver.

Spearheads Edmonds and Moore also spoke, but minimized their comments.

“Since July 2015 I have provided you a number of statistics and reasons why water-skiing should be allowed on the lake,” Moore said. “We can’t ski on other lakes in Virginia because there are horsepower restrictions. The restrictions are on the horsepower of the boats and not water-skiing itself.”

“Water-skiers may be a minority but it is our right that is protected by the Virginia Constitution,” Edmonds added. “The state says its okay, Charles City [where part of the lake resides] says its okay, so why not New Kent?”

Other speakers in favor of the repeal referenced a number of points that included faster boats on the lake, public usage, and a conflict between fishermen and water-skiers as the heart of the problem. However, opponents of the repeal commented on environmental and safety issues stemming from hazards in the lake.

“There is no public access to the lake,” said John Jones. “Those boats can create wakes that can get larger. When the wakes are directed downward, they churn the bottom of the lake and damage the lake.”

“This issue is about shared values and not shared wealth,” said Alyssa Salomon, who also opposed the repeal. “On the lake it is quiet, peaceful and we can enjoy it without being disturbed.

“This issue is a selfish request to water-ski,” she continued. “They want to take away what many can do on the lake what can’t be done at other places.”

Allen, the former county supervisor and owner of Ed Allen’s Boats and Baits on the lake, stepped to the podium to address the issue of conflict of interest as well as his opposition for the repeal.

“In 1979, the county supervisors and I spoke with the game wardens in Charles City and New Kent,” Allen said. “There, I asked our county attorney if there was a conflict of interest and he said there wasn’t.

“I was appointed by the state attorney general to hold the position of supervisor,” he continued, pointing to the special appointment to hold that position as well as work in the county’s school system. “We held a public hearing on the issue [in 1979] and nobody spoke.

“Chickahominy Lake is three times smaller (1,200 acres) when compared to the next lake that allows for unlimited horsepower,” the former supervisor continued. “Forty percent of it is under four feet deep and last year 4,471 boats were launched in the lake [from private boat ramps].

“It’s a safety issue, plain and simple,” Allen added as he wrapped up his comments. “Chickahominy Lake has a three-an-a-half mile stretch, while the Pamunkey River has 31 miles and the Chickahominy River has 17 miles to ski on.”

More supporters to keep the ordinance in its current state commented on the dangers of unseen objects, cresting of boat wakes onto other boats, and the popularity of Chickahominy Lake as a fishing spot for tourists from the East Coast to visit undisturbed.

After the public hearing closed, supervisors expressed varying viewpoints on the conundrum.

“I see both sides of the issue, but I also see the side to the state law that allows public access to public water,” said Tiller. “I keep hearing people say water-skiers can go somewhere else but the same can be said about fishermen.”

District 5 representative Ray Davis approached the issue from a logistical standpoint as he reviewed a map of the lake.

“This thing has been discussed for months and months,” he said. “If you look at the map, we’re talking about a stretch that is less than two miles long but at its widest, it’s 200 yards.”

District 3 newcomer Patricia Paige commented on the time she’s put into the issue.

“I have been researching this issue and I have received a number of calls for the repeal and for it staying in place,” she said. “We all have to get along in a safe manner and that is what this decision comes down to.”

In the end, it was board chairman and District 4 leader Ron Stiers who provided insight through his own studies on the issue.

“There are 59 lakes in Virginia that do not allow boats with gas motors,” he said, pointing to a neccessity for boats to be fast enough to haul a tow line for the recreational activity. “There are also 17 lakes where the boat has to be less than 10 horsepower and 16 that won’t allow boats on it at all. That’s a total of 92 lakes in Virginia.

“To hear that Chickahominy Lake is the only lake that prohibits water-skiing is not true,” the chairman continued. “I don’t understand how people can say they can’t find this information but I was able to pull these items up in a matter of months.

“My biggest issue here really is safety,” Stiers said as he wrapped up his opinion. “There is floating marsh that is also in that lake along with the erosion that would be a huge environmental issue.”

Tiller initiated the motion to repeal the ordinance to allow the activity, but it failed after a vote, leaving supporters disappointed as they left the boardroom.

“We spent a lot of time on this issue and you have to do your research,” Stiers said at the conclusion of the meeting.