Excerpt from St. Croix River Shoreline Studies, 1995-2000

The Lower St. Croix National Scenic Riverway was designated a part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in 1972 by Congress, which specified that it be jointly managed by the National Park Service and the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin. The two state legislatures concurred in 1973. The National Park Service and the two state departments of natural resources created the Lower St. Croix Management Commission to cooperatively manage the riverway.

The riverway is an extremely popular recreational boating area and a key management issue facing the Lower St. Croix Management Commission is regulating boating to ensure safe, enjoyable experiences and resource protection. State-imposed water surface use regulations have been in place since 1977 to restrict boat speeds and certain activities in congested areas. The management commission conducts regular surveys of boating density and has established policy that the need for regulation should be studied when density reaches 15 acres of water per moving boat in any particular area, and regulations should be imposed when density reaches 10 acres of water per moving boat.

The five-mile reach of river between the north city limits of Stillwater and the Arcola Sandbar (a shallow area that largely prevents boat movement further north) is very popular with recreational boaters. It provides a highly scenic area flanked with cliffs, and with a braided channel and publicly owned islands it provides a popular area for boat-related island camping.

Since 1977, waterskiing has been prohibited in this area on summer weekend afternoons. Boating density in recent years has fluctuated between and acres of water per moving craft. Concern has grown in recent years about boat congestion in the area and about island and shoreline erosion. In 1993, the management commission began considering additional boating regulations in this area; by early 1994, it was prepared to recommend the area be designated no-wake, the most restrictive speed regulation found on the river. The management commission held a public workshop on the concept on March 23 1994, anticipating as many as 100 people might attend; actual attendance was probably in excess of the 254 people who registered. The concept was so controversial that a new organization, the St. Croix Waterway Association, was formed to advocate for boater rights. Commentary at that meeting suggested that island erosion was caused by wind action or flooding, and not necessarily by boat wakes; citizens asked the agencies to conduct necessary research to determine the cause of island and shoreline erosion.

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