New Marine Commission Sets Priorities
By Dave Vieser – A year ago, the Lake Norman Marine Commission fell apart when Lincoln County voted to leave the commission, triggering a bylaw stating that if any one county decided to withdraw, the commission would disband.
The commission was composed of representatives from four counties adjoining Lake Norman — Mecklenburg, Iredell, Lincoln and Catawba — and, since 1969, created rules for the lake, issued permits to rental boat companies and maintained the lake’s 160 navigational markers.
Lake enthusiasts expressed concerns about the future of lake oversight after the commission disbanded, but the state legislature responded by passing a law outlining a new structure for the Lake Norman Marine Commission.
The new regulations not only maintained the commission’s responsibilities but also addressed some issues in the original LNMC charter. For example:
Membership: At least two counties must withdraw for the commission to disband, unlike under the old charter. In addition, membership now consists of nine members — two from each of the four counties and one at-large member. Members are also now required to have a boating background.
Conflict of interest: The new regulations state that no commissioner can have any ownership interest in, or financial relationship with, any business or property dependent on income generated from Lake Norman or that otherwise presents a conflict of interest.
County ordinances: Each participating county must incorporate the text of every regulation adopted by the commission into its local code of ordinances.
The new board members include Gregory Truesdell and Richard Gaskins of Mecklenburg County; Barbara Beatty and Cameron Sloan of Catawba County; Jason Ralston, Jarid Church and Billy Wilson of Iredell County; and Mark Mullen and Timothy Holder of Lincoln County.
Meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. and rotate among the counties. The next meeting in Mecklenburg County is July 16 at the Charlotte Water–Duke Treatment Plant in Huntersville.
The board has been actively searching for its first executive director since March.
Jeff Tarte, a former Cornelius mayor and state senator who worked with members of the General Assembly to formulate the regulations for the new LNMC, believes the new format “brings considerably more structure to the important work done on and about the lake by the commission.”
“Especially important is the clause that requires each county to include a copy of any LNMC regulation in its own local code of ordinances,” Tarte said. Previously, many regulations varied from county to county.
What the LNMC does
Oversight of ATONs (aids to navigation): ATONs are the channel markers, shoal markers, no-wake buoys and informational buoys throughout the lake. Numbered and lighted channel markers for both the main lake and major creeks begin at Cowans Ford Dam on N.C. Highway 73 and continue north to Buffalo Shoals Bridge.
Boating safety courses: Boating safety is a major concern, especially during the busy summer months. The need for greater safety on the lake is magnified this year because of low water levels. The Lake Norman Marine Commission works with agencies around the lake to make boating safety courses available to the public.
Highlighting safety hazards: The commission’s website, www.lnmc.org, contains information about safety hazards boaters may encounter while navigating the lake.
The new LNMC cites several accomplishments in its early months, including:
• Restoring many aids to navigation that were previously extinguished or obstructed, including those impacted by osprey nests.
• Approving several projects that will provide additional lake access and create more natural habitats for marine life.
• Establishing the authority to create temporary safety zones on the lake that allow it to restrict boating activity in support of major incidents, such as search-and-rescue operations.
• Adopting a state law mandating boater education. Under the previous charter, renters were excluded from this requirement.
