PWCs with Carbureted Engines Banned from Colorado River Lakes
January 1, 2013
Byline: Log News Service
BOULDER CITY, Nev. (LOG NEWS SERVICE) — The National Park Service reminds boaters that a ban on personal watercraft (PWCs) with carbureted two-stroke engines went into effect Jan. 1 on three Colorado River lakes: Powell, Mead and Mohave.
Enforcement of the new rule, which was announced in 2003, was delayed until 2013 to allow PWC owners 10 years to transition to PWCs that meet the 2006 emission standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the manufacturing of two-stroke engines, officials said.
Boats and PWCs that meet the EPA 2006 emission standards through the use of direct-injection two-stroke or four-stroke engines are not subject to the restriction.
However, officials said that the National Park Service intends to ban all two-stroke engines that do not meet the 2006 EPA emission standards in the future.
Lake Mead National Recreational Area Superintendent Bill Dickinson, who supervises two of the lakes (Mead and Mohave), said concerns about the amount of fuel the old-model engines spew into the water were behind the ban.
Dickinson said that the Lake Mead reservoir behind Hoover Dam supplies drinking water for millions of people in the Las Vegas area.
A release announcing the implementation of the new regulation said that two-stroke PWCs may still be allowed in some other areas along the Colorado River managed by other federal, state or local agencies. It advised boaters to check with local authorities on specific regulations prior to visiting any other lake or area on the Colorado River.
The release also pointed out that all lakes in California and many throughout the Northwest already enforce the 2006 standards.
The National Park Service said a list of watercraft that meet the new standards will be posted online and made available at visitor centers, entrance stations and marinas.
— A report from the Associated Press was used in this story.
