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§170-6 1ersonal Watercraft Operation: <br /> A. All Personal Watercraft operation is subject to the applicable provisions of the General <br /> Laws of the Commonwealth,as amended,and to the further restriction that no motor or <br /> propelled surfboard or other personal watercraft operation is allowed in Mashpee in or <br /> on the freshwater ponds(with the exception of Mashpee-Wakeby Lake)before the hour <br /> of 10:00 am and after the hour of 7:00 pm. For Mashpee-Wakeby Lake, personal <br /> watercraft arc not permitted after the hour of 7,00 pm or sunset, whichever comes first. <br /> (323 CMR 113) <br /> !History: Amended 10-16-2006.ATIA1.Article 32,approved by Atiorne}General 2-13-2007. <br /> B. Personal Watercrafl operation is permitted on fresh water ponds and tidal waters of <br /> Popponesset Bay, Nantucket Sound, and Waquoil Bay subject to the same restrictions <br /> for watercraft above. In addition,prohibited activities are: <br /> 1. Towing any object using a personal watercraft <br /> 2. Operation between the hours of sunset and sunrise or when vision is unduly <br /> restricted by weather <br /> 3. Operation on bodies of water of less than seventy-five(75)acres <br /> 4. Operation by a person under the age of sixteen(10) <br /> 5. Operation by it person sixteen (10) or seventeen (17) years or'age without first <br /> having received a safety certificate required by 323 CMR 4.03(2) <br /> C. All Personal Watercrall operators shall wear a wearable Personal Flotation Device(Type <br /> III or better: Lire belts are not acceptable.) <br /> Note two points in the above; <br /> 1) Noise: Per this bylaw, since 2007, personal watercraft is limited to use on Ashumet Pond from <br /> 10:00 am to 7:00 pm (or sunset). The bylaw for general Town noise restricts activities outside of <br /> 8:00 am and 10:00 pm,so clearly, personal watercraft is limited for noise purposes by five hours <br /> more per day than other noise producing activities. Also note that the Personal Watercraft <br /> Industrial Association (PWIA) reports that engine sound pressure levels have been reduced up to <br /> 70 percent since 1998 and now manufacturers are offering advanced sound dampening <br /> components. The historical complaint of noise has been when the personal watercraft <br /> repeatedly exits the water and yet the larger wider and heavier multi-person seated watercraft <br /> most popular today are designed to leave the waterfar less frequently. Jet skis have <br /> transitioned from 2-stroke engines to 4-stroke engines, operating cleanly and with far less noise. <br /> Three-person watercraft account for 75 percent of the sales per the PWIA report,attached. <br /> 2) Body of Water Size: This bylaw prohibits personal watercraft on bodies of water of less than 75 <br /> acres. Ashumet Pond is over 200 acres,therefore, over 2.5 times the size limitation for <br /> operation. Note that Ashumet Pond has a depth of 65 feet and an average depth of 23 feet, <br /> well over the 1989 report mention of shallow water. <br /> Noise and Wildlfe-The bylaw below further relays the limitation of watercraft from 10:00 am to 7:00 <br /> pm and states that this change was made in 2007,well after the 1989 study. It also limits operation <br /> 6 <br />