Increased water levels at Wagga's Lake Albert has encouraged a lot of people to use the waterway again but has also resulted in a 300 per cent increase in fines and cautions over safety rules.
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A Transport for NSW spokesperson said the fines and cautions were issued to boaters for safety breaches including not carrying or not maintaining safety equipment.
"In the two months to 21 February this year, there have been 24 penalty notices and official cautions compared to six official cautions for the same time period in 2020," the spokesperson said.
Rainfall this month of up to 63 millimetres in a single evening has seen Lake Albert's water rise to its highest point in two years, leading to many residents choosing the lake over a longer drive to dams at Blowering or Talbingo.
Bidgee Dragons dragon boat club co-founder and head coach Denise Ma said she did not want to create divisions between different types of lake users but her group had seen impacts from higher numbers of boat users.
"We want to look at how we can forward to use that shared space for everybody and everybody has got a responsibility for safety" she said.
"When there are extra boats on the lake they do create a bigger wake and that can cause some extra challenges when maneuvering the boat."
Mrs Ma said the lower water levels at the lake had caused the four-knot speed zone, which was used by dragon boats to shrink in size, which was an issue when changing directions to avoid waves from motor boats.
NSW Maritime has two boating safety officers and an education officer who patrol Lake Albert.
The Transport for NSW spokesperson said boaters were reminded to operate to the conditions and in accordance with any signage at the lake and to remember all waterways are there to be shared.
"NSW Maritime has been working with Wagga Boat Club and other key stakeholders to educate new and experienced boaters to ensure boating safety on Lake Albert is maintained," the spokesperson said.
"There is limited navigable water on Lake Albert and the recent rainfall has led to an increase in boating activity, including wakeboarding, jetskiing and waterskiing which has led to some issues around safe towing and sharing of the waterway."
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