Should gas motors be allowed on Nutting Lake?
September 28, 2008
A petition by select Billerica citizens to change the current bylaws to allowing gas motorboats on Nuttings lake up to 30-horsepower motors is being presented before the Billerica Town Board at the Annual Fall Town Meeting (Tuesday Oct 7, 2008 at 7:00pm).
Some people believe that we should allow people to put jet skis and boats in Nutting Lake. We should allow taxpayers of Masachusetts to bring in their recreational watercrafts and enjoy the lake!
Others believe that the lake is way to small to have boats and jet skis flying around. They leak fuel, disturb the wildlife and create an annoying amount of noise pollution! They banned them years ago for this reason. If we as community truly believe in being a green community, why would we allow this? It’s not good!
How do you feel?
Please
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Nutting Lake is a quiet, LITTLE Lake. It is a great resource for Billerica and letting power boats in it would be bad. It is a peaceful, wildlife habitat. If we really care about nature, recycling,and the environment, we should keep it free of speeding propellers, leaking fuel and oil! Vote it down and keep our lake clean!
Maybe we should first enforce the law as it now stands before trying to change it. In other words, prohibit the gas powered bobsleds and ATVs in the winter. I’ve seen kids without helmets under ten riding 30mph while there dads guzzle down the buds, and 10 feet from skaters no less. This motion just doesn’t make any sense to me. I can just see our lake becoming a wash basin for salt water crafts. No offense to the responsible fishermen but our lake is just too small to open up the flood gate to the rest of the yahoos that would use the lake irreponsibly.
I live on the lake and agree that 30 horsepower motors are two big for this small lake.
Nutting Lake has been motorboat free for many years and should stay that way! Use of naturally powered boats or electric motors is more than enough for such a small body of water. Please everybody pass the town meeting info on to all Billerica residents October 7th @ 7:PM in the Billerica Town hall.
It is a horrible proposal. The Lake is already challenged by motor pollution comming from Middlesex Turnpike.
It would be a shame if the Lake became so polluted as not to be a wonderful resource for the community in years to come.All because we made no efforts at all to protect its fragile eco system now.
Great idea. Jet skis, no boats.
I think the resource is used. Does anyone ever go to the beach. Jet skis, small boats would be great.
If I read correctly, the proposal was to allow motor boats up to 30 HP. This already excludes jet skis and most ocean craft since they are typically much more than 30 HP.
However, I am against motor boats in the lake even if they are small engines. The newer 4 stroke motors are pretty clean and don’t put oil into the water. However, many of the smaller fishing boats out there run the older two stroke motors which use the water as their mufflers and the oil that is mixed with the gas deposits directly into the water through the exhaust. There is not much movement in the water as it is. Adding this added pollution on top of what is naturally deposited from water runoff would soon turn the lake into a murky, smelly swamp. Leave it the way it is. There are plenty of people that use the lake as it is now. What is the benefit of inviting motors into the lake? It isn’t large enough to NEED a motor, especially since it is divided by the causeway.
I have a gas powered boat of my own that in my opinion is far too large for the lake. I choose to bring it to larger bodies of water and use Nutting’s Lake for my Kayak. I also enjoy fishing and live at the lake. There is no need to change anything. Leave it the way it is.
If the town really wants to make the lake more accessible they should add a ramp to the beach side of the lake, maybe off of Lake Street so people can enjoy both sides of the lake.
I could be wrong…but I don’t think it is even posted that you can’t use an outboard there. If it’s not then you can. I think it would be best to set a speed limit to wake speed only!
I am lucky to own a small boat with an electric motor and a larger bass boat, and it would be nice if I could sit in comfort all day on my bigger boat!
No absolutely not, no loud motors in the lake. Motorcycles in the summer are bad enough at Mickey’s. I love the peacefullness of the lake, I think we should encourage kayaks, canoes & sailboating!
Legislation is being worked on right now that would give control to the municipalities for waters that are wholly within their boundaries.
nutting lake is far to small for powerboats.the pollution will kill the fish.