New rules, fees for boats stir worries for economy

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. -- Some boaters argue new rules designed to reduce the level of noise and pollutants from motor­boats on Lake Tahoe could drive away visitors and hurt the local economy.

Under the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's Blue Boating Program, inspectors will determine whether boaters have properly tuned engines for high altitude and have sewage systems that will not discharge waste into the lake. And boats will be checked for compliance with noise rules.

With fees imposed for invasive-species inspections, boaters will be charged from $20 to $200 annually at Lake Tahoe, depending on the type of boat and whether it's used in other bodies of water. The owner of an average boat will pay $65 to $75 for a full year of boating at the lake.

Lew Long, director of the Pacific Yacht Association, thinks the fees could prompt boaters to seek cheaper alternatives and hurt the local economy.

"I have no problem with inspections, especially of aquatic invasive species. It has to be done, and I understand the associated fees," Long told the Tahoe Daily Tribune. "But when you add another Blue Boating fee, that's a hefty tax for a boater in these tough economic times."

The inspections and fees will be enough to keep some boaters from returning to Lake Tahoe, agreed Jim Morris, president of the vacation rental company Lake Tahoe Accommodations.

"When they're hit with a launch fee and all these other fees, they're just going to say, 'I don't need this, I don't need this hassle,'" Morris said. "They're going to go elsewhere."

But Carl Young, program director at the League to Save Lake Tahoe, thinks boaters will adapt to the rules.

"A few years ago, the TRPA banned two-stroke carbureted engines, and that did not lead to a significant decrease of boating on the lake," he said.

It's more likely that environmental degradation would keep boaters away, he said.

Hal Paris, parks and recreation director for the Incline Village General Improvement District, said the new program represents a balance between environmental and economic concerns.

"The TRPA has successfully implemented progressive policies, which balance different recreational needs and wants of community members, with the need to protect a national treasure," he said.