The Lake Anna Advisory Committee (LAAC) voted 5-1 against an application for the removal of one of Lake Anna’s three No Wakesurfing Zones at its May meeting. Lake Anna currently has three No Wake Surfing Zones at Kelly’s Landing, Runnymede, and Southwind Shores.
The application was submitted to Virginia’s Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) by Terry Camarata of Lake for All Users requesting the removal of the No Wakesurfing Zone at Southwind Shores, citing a 2022 ruling by DWR against a Smith Mountain Lake No Wakesurfing Zone that recommended No Wake Zones vs distinct No Wakesurfing Zones.
Though the affected area is in Spotsylvania County, Louisa County acts as the administrative hub for LAAC as it fields public comments and uses those comments to form a cohesive opinion reflective of neighboring landowners and the general public and makes a recommendation to DWR, who has the final say.
The May meeting was standing room only in the Louisa County Public Meeting Room with two dozen citizens expressing their opinions on the application. At one point Lake Anna Civic Association (LACA) President Greg Baker asked those in the room against the application to stand and while many of those that stood did not speak it was a majority of the attendees.
In her application, Camarata stated that the case for removal of the zone is that its establishment in 2019, “set a precedence that divided wakesurfing from all other sports with no regard for size or depth of the areas.”, citing this as a “public access” issue rather than a neighborhood one.
She cited the denial by DWR of a proposal for an identical buoy in Smith Mountain Lake in 2022 which stated the reason for the denial was that “All watercraft designed or modified to create extra-large wakes could continue to operate without deviation so long as they were not specifically engaged in wake surfing.”, which they reasoned “Therefore the act of wakesurfing, in and of itself, does not present any challenges that are unique from a public safety perspective and are not encompassed in other activities,”.
LACA, a local organization dedicated to “preserving and protecting the cleanliness, beauty, and safe use of the Lake” has a comprehensive page on their website detailing both the application and their formal opposition to the removal of the No Wakesurfing Zone at Southwind Shores. They cite their concerns of safety for other people enjoying the Lake, given the narrower waterway and concentrated residential density in Southwind Shores.
The opposition report counters the applicant’s claim of DWR’s precedent with emerging regulations in multiple states adopting setbacks from 200 to 500 feet from shore for high wake boating activities. Studies from institutions including the Michigan Department of Natural Resources supporting those minimum setbacks are accompanied by photos demonstrating the erosion to the shoreline and the danger to other boaters that wakes can produce.
LACA’s report concludes with underscores that Jacob Lane, the Spotsylvania County Supervisor whose district Southwind Shores rests in, supports keeping the No Wakesurfing Zone buoy in place, and there’s “strong support” among the community members that LACA regularly surveys and engages with.
They note that the No Wakesurfing Zone at Southwind Shores “serves an important and necessary function in protecting public safety, shoreline property, and environmental quality” and that the application for removal “does not provide sufficient evidence to outweigh these considerations and does not propose any alternative measures to mitigate the resulting impacts.”
Public comments on the application were accepted through May 27th, 2026 in order to prepare for the LAAC meeting on May 28. The public comments received by email can be viewed on LAAC’s minutes. These comments were all considered by LAAC in forming their recommendation to oppose the removal of the No Wakesurfing Zone at Southwind Shores, which was forwarded to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources for a final decision.
Robin Horne, a Louisa County appointee to LAAC was the only member to vote for the application. She noted, “Anyone who chooses to live on the waterfront accepts responsibility for maintaining and protecting their shoreline. Shoreline erosion on Lake Anna is caused by all forms of boat traffic and weather.”
Horne also said, she “would support making this area a true no-wake zone for everyone if there is a legitimate safety concern. However, I cannot support restrictions that target wake surfing alone.”
LAAC Navigation & Safety Subcommittee Chair Barbara Aikens read her recommendation to deny the application to remove the No Wake Surfing Zone which included the statement: “After reading the application and the many letters from residents who support keeping the buoys in place, I do not discern any safety concerns that support removing the NWS buoys.”
LAAC Chairman Christopher C. McCotter told Life & Times he’s seen the no wakesurfing zone issue cycle three times now in the past 15 years he’s served on the committee.
“Wakesurfing is a unique activity at Lake Anna and other bodies of water in that it often divides the community on whether or not it is appropriate in certain areas. LAAC reviewed the merits of this application as it does all others and made a recommendation to DWR for consideration. That agency will make the final decision.”
