The Dymer Creek “no wake” zone is now in effect.
During the summer of 2017, Dymer Creek residents, through the Dymer Creek Environmental Preservation Association (DCEPA), petitioned Lancaster County for a “no wake” zone and markers for the creek’s narrow, western (upstream) portion from Townley Point (37° 40.512’ N, 076° 21.387’ W) to the upstream end of navigation.
Creek residents had been subject to large boat wakes that damaged piers, damaged boats, caused serious bank erosion and presented danger to paddle craft and swimmers, reported DCEPA boating safety chairman David H. Herndon.
The Lancaster County Board of Supervisors on August 31, 2017, unanimously approved the request and the Commonwealth of Virginia Division of Game and Inland Fisheries approved and issued a permit letter on June 4, 2018.
The Dymer Creek “no wake” regulatory signs and buoys have now been installed, said Herndon. The creek’s “no wake” zone restrictions are in full effect and subject to law enforcement. The creek’s “no wake” zone is marked with official regulatory markers including a large “Entering No Wake Zone” sign on a piling on the end of the shoal off Townley Point (the beginning of the zone coming in to the creek); a “No Wake” buoy on the end of the shoal off Smoak Point; and a “No Wake” buoy at the end of the shoal off Flowering Fields Point, he said.
There is also a large “Leaving No Wake Zone” sign on the backside of the entrance piling at Townley Point for boats to see when they are leaving the zone.
All boaters operating in the Dymer Creek “no wake” zone should operate their boats at no-wake, idle speeds, said Herndon.
