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When water rises, shoreline property owners are at the mercy of boaters

JANESVILLE — Heavy rains prior to the Fourth of July resulted in slow/no wake restrictions on the Rock River, and wary property owners are hoping they've seen the worst of the high water.

That's because memories of flooding along the river in 2008 are still fresh.

Dennis Steed of Janesville said boaters don’t always follow the slow/no wake restriction. Steed lives 150 yards from a boat launch near Traxler Park.

Most boaters are courteous, Steed said, but when the water levels get high, there’s not much people can do to protect their property.

“The majority of the boaters are great,” he said. “They respect the people who live along the river. Then there are those that don’t give a darn.”

Even careful boaters do damage to the shoreline, though.

“You watch the boats go by and even though they are going real, real slow, they kick out a heck of a wake,” Steed said. “Wakes cause destruction, and destruction has to be repaired.

“You put the time and effort to try and make your property look decent, (and) then when somebody comes by and just knowingly or unknowingly wipes that out, it’s so disrespectful and such a slap in the face.”

Steed likened the destruction to someone throwing a can of soda against a locker.

“Somebody’s got to clean it up,” he said.

Read the full story in the e-edition of The Janesville Messenger, HERE.