Recommendations Aim to Ease Crowding At Area Lakes

JordanLake,FallsLakeandKerrLakeare at capacity on summer weekends and holidays. "I'd like to see another launch put in," says Jamie Stoy as he waits in line for his chance at a boat ramp on Falls Lake.

That is not in the plan.The agencies that run Falls Lake say theirwaters are full.

"That we can certainly add more numbers, not a problem. But if we do addthose additional numbers, the quality of the experience willdecline," says Steve Brown of theArmy Corps of Engineers.

Lake managers are going for quality. They want to cap the number of boatsthat can get into each lake.

A two-year study by the Army Corps of Engineers makes severalrecommendations, including the boat cap.

"The more parking spaces there are for trailers, the more boats there areon the water," says Brown. "To control the number of boats on the water, you would need to controlthe number of parking spaces for trailers."

Managers also want to prevent development alone shorelines.They say a proposed marina on Falls Lake will not be built.

Managers also want more boat safety courses where peoplecan learn lake rules and the importance ofwearing a life preserver.

The lakes, crowded with boats and jet skis, are patrolled and boatersrely on common courtesy.However, there is a limit to how much Falls Lake and others canjuggle.

As new waves of people move to the area, thelake managers would rather see a traffic jamon land than on the sea.

Photographer:Gil Hollingsworth