Politics & Government

City Asking Public to Help Float New Rules for Noise on Lake Washington

The subject of a contentious City Council meeting in March, rules for excessive noise from the lake will be the topic of a public meeting May 3.

 

The issue of how to regulate excessive noise from boats on Lake Washington -- the subject of a -- will be the focus of a public meeting at on May 3.

In an effort to address ongoing complaints from residents and parks lovers about noise on Juanita Bay, where large groups of boaters often concentrate on hot summer days, the city attorney’s office and Kirkland Police Department at a March 6 council meeting. They included prohibitions on excessive noise from a variety of sources, including boat engines and people yelling, as well as a limit on the number of boats that could be tied together, or “rafted.”

Although people on both sides of the issue spoke -- residents saying the noise was at times unbearable and boaters saying the rafting rules were unfair -- the outcry largely by the boating community sunk the proposal, with the council deferring action and sending the proposed ordinance to its Public Safety Committee for review.

Current Kirkland noise regulations, adopted in 1960, do not address excessive sound from the water as do rules in other lakeside communities. So the city wants to hear from the public about ways to address the issue. The informational meeting on Thursday, May 3, 6:30-8 p.m., is in the Peter Kirk Room at City Hall, 123 5th Avenue.

For details, or if you would like to receive email updates about the issue from the city, see the city web pages here. If you have specific questions or suggestions, please contact the Kirkland Police Department information line at 425-587-3516.

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From a City of Kirkland informational advisory and Kirkland Patch files.


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