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The PWC Controversy - Getting Along With Nature

© Karen K. Patton

The popularity of the personal watercraft ("PWC") has remained increasingly steady since its introduction a little more than a decade ago. One-half of all boat sales in the United States are now PWCs. This has made PWC users the fastest-growing segment of the boating community in the world. With this increased popularity is an ever growing controversy regarding safety and environmental issues. While safety has always been an issue, we are seeing more and more legislation regarding the impact of PWCs on the environment. The controversy not only surrounds the perceived damage caused by water pollution from two-cycle engines and disruption of wildlife by PWCs but also noise pollution.

More and more it is thought that PWCs disrupt peace and quiet and are dangerous to the creatures and plant life that live in and around the water. Many cities are banning the use of PWCs on their waterways. Likewise, many National Parks are taking action to ban or restrict PWC use. Glacier, Yellowstone, and Everglades national parks have banned PWCs. Restrictions or bans are currently under discussion at Cape Cod National Seashore, and at Voyageurs, Big Bend, and Grand Canyon national parks. Several articles published by the National Parks and Conservation Association suggest that visitors complain that the incessant sputter and whine of PWC engines interfere with their enjoyment of the parks.

The Personal Watercraft Industry Association ("PWIA") reports that PWCs are significantly quieter than models from only ten (10) years ago. Improvements have come from increased sophistication in exhaust system design, the increased exhaust system volume allowed by the larger two- and three-person models which now dominate the PWC market, and attention to significant engineering details like tuned intake silencers and materials selection for noise and vibration reduction. In response to the growing concern surrounding noise pollution, many PWC manufacturers are taking steps to cut down on PWC noise. For instance, Bombadier says all models of their Sea Doo watercraft and jet boats will have the D-Sea-Bel Noise Reduction System by model-year 1999. Current PWCs meet all applicable state noise requirements, and emit sound levels comparable to boats of similar power or performance levels.

However, as evidenced by the increasing number of articles written on the subject, despite these steps to reduce the noise levels people continue to complain about PWCs. The PWIA suggests that this could be attributed to the repetitive operation of PWCs (or any powerboat) in a limited area or the fact that PWCs tend to operate too close to the shoreline. PWCs could also be targeted due to the fact that PWC users operate their craft for a significantly larger number of hours per day, and for a significantly greater number of days per season than many other types of boats. No matter what the cause, there are some things that PWC operators can do to help alleviate the problem.

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