Wakesurfing ban considered for Mississippi River Recreation Area | FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
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Wakesurfing ban considered for Mississippi River Recreation Area

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Published  March 7, 2025 6:37pm CST
Politics
FOX 9

Proposal to ban wakesurfing on part of Mississippi

Some riverside residents and lawmakers are looking to ban wakesurfing on a 6-mile stretch of the Mississippi River.

The Brief

    • A Senate bill would prohibit wakesurfing and using boats with ballasts designed to create wakes in the six-mile stretch of the Mississippi River from the Highway 169 bridge to the Coon Rapids Dam.
    • City leaders and residents along the river are worried the large wakes the boats create may be dangerous to people on the river on the shores.
    • The DNR says the boats should be at least 200 feet from shore for safety, but on the river that’s nearly impossible. But the boating industry has opposed similar bills.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Riverside residents are hoping to ban wakesurfing in a specific section of the Mississippi River.

Ride the wakes 

Pushy problem?:

In the land of 10,000 lakes, to go surfing you have to catch a wake.

But on the Mississippi River, some folks say that’s a problem.

"This is the Mississippi recreational area," said Champlin resident Tom McCullough, staring out on the river from his backyard.

For the six miles from the Highway 169 bridge to Coon Rapids Dam, the Mississippi River acts more like a lake than a raging river.

It attracts all kinds of water play — from canoes and kayaks to pontoons and fishing boats.

Wake boats, too, but neighbors like Tom McCullough are worried about the massive waves they create.

"It's going to happen that someone's really going to get hurt," McCullough said. "When you have a dock or a floating dock or otherwise, you're like a drunken sailor trying to stand up on that dock. So heaven forbid you have kids down here playing in the water."

Best protection

Impossible distance:

The DNR recommends wake boats stay at least 200 feet from shorelines to reduce safety concerns and erosion damage.

"At no point between the bridge and the dam is the river wide enough to handle those type of waves that are being generated from these boats," said Champlin Mayor Ryan Sabas.

City leaders from Champlin and Coon Rapids brought their concerns to the Capitol and Sen. John Hoffman experienced it firsthand.

"Out fishing and all of a sudden this big wave was pushing stuff," said Sen. Hoffman, (DFL-Champlin).

I'm just a bill

Surfing on Capitol Hill:

Hoffman now has a bill prohibiting wakesurfing and using the type of boats with ballasts designed to create wakes. 

A few people living along the river have these boats and the boating industry has opposed similar bills in the past.

They say boat wakes increase oxygen in the water, which benefits aquatic life.

McCullough says the risks heavily outweigh any benefits.

"This should be a dumb, stupid decision that this is something they can easily do," he said. "We're not changing the world. We're just making this area safe."

City leaders told Sen. Hoffman this week that they like his bill, but they’d rather handle this on their own with city ordinances they can better control.

PoliticsSt. PaulCapitol Hill