Jet skis have been under a temporary ban at Worcester, Massachusetts’ Indian Lake since August of 2021 and that ban is set to expire at the end of September of 2022. Now some city council members want to make the ban permanent. The ban started because residents complained about jet ski drivers riding dangerously and scaring swimmers. Some complaints also had to do with injured wildlife.
Prior to the ban, the lake had increased law enforcement for a month, and they removed around 10 jet skis from the ramp. There aren’t enough officers certified to patrol by boat, so they banned PWC for a year. City council members Sean Rose and Candy Mero-Carlson are gunning hard for a permanent ban.
They are using safety concerns and lack of consistent police presence to push for a ban. Rose says it’s difficult to even deal with traffic and parking issues. She can’t imagine there being always being a police officer at the lake. Some members of the city council considered the possibility of banning non-resident jet skiers.
Khrystian King is for education and enforcement, though he doesn’t have a plan for how to execute his ideas. In the meantime, he thinks they should keep a ban in place until spring so they can garner more information. He is also worried about shifting the problem of PWC to Lake Quinsigamiond if the Indian Lake ban becomes permanent. The matter will now go to the city manager’s office before going back to the full council. This is a developing story, and we will update as you we garner more information.
