County Council approves temporary ban for motorized boats in Fairweather Cove

Published 11:16 pm Monday, July 27, 2009

Lake Tapps is the center of controversy again this summer as certain boaters draw the attention of some residents.

The lake’s Fairweather Cove area attracts a specific and disruptive crowd who gather to party on their boats.

“This has been an emerging issue for years,” Pierce County Councilman Shawn Bunney said.

Bunney said specific problems stemming from the party area are nudity, urination in the water, noise pollution and drunken fighting.

To combat the problem, Pierce County Council put a temporary ban, expiring in 2010, on the anchoring, drifting or tying together of motorized boats in Fairweather Cove.

The lake is public, so Bunney said he is reluctant to make any permanent changes which punish responsible boaters who abide by the rules. He would like to find a way for the law to be enforced without hampering the activities of every boater.

Boats tied together made it difficult for police to access and locate specific offenders, Bunney said.

During the time the ban is in place, Pierce County Council will try to design a permanent solution to the problem, which may involve finding a new location where boaters can congregate, as long as the rules are obeyed.

“We believe that there are lots of places where people could boat without upsetting property owners,” Bunney said.

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