Water Patrol is operated through the Big Cedar Lake Protection & Rehabilitation District. Water Patrol is staffed by law enforcement officers that are certified by the State of Wisconsin. The officers patrol Big Cedar Lake, Little Cedar Lake and Silver Lake, enforcing state and local boating statutes/ordinances. They also oversee the parking at the Gonring Drive public boat launch. Water Patrol is led by a Water Safety Patrol Chief and Assistant Chief. They lead a team of approximately 15 officers.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Big Cedar Lake Protection and Rehabilitation Water Patrol is to promote boater safety through education, enforcement and active patrol of all waterways associated with our department. The water patrol investigates all boating related crimes and boating accidents that occur on all waterways associated with our department.
Functions:
- Provide and maintain trained professional Water Patrol officers.
- Promote boater safety through the use of boating safety checks and through enforcement of all boater safety laws and/or ordinances.
- Actively enforce Wisconsin State boat registration laws.
- Investigate all boating accidents and boating related crimes that occur on waterways associated with our department.
- Actively patrol all official scheduled boating events that occur on associated lakes.
- Maintain all vessels owned and operated by the Water Patrol Unit.
Goals:
- Build an active working relationship with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department through the use of joint patrols.
- Aggressively educate the public on boater safety issues through the use of boat safety checks.
- Establish an active presence during the peak boating times on all waters associated with our department.
- Identify and seek additional sources of funding for the Water.
Wisconsin boating falls under the jurisdiction of the Wisconsin DNR. With your boat registration, you should receive the Handbook of Wisconsin Boating Laws and Responsibilities. This free publication is available from the Wisconsin DNR and can be viewed and printed from their website. For even more detail, you can go to the Chapter 30, Wisconsin Statutes, “Navigable Waters, Harbors and Navigation” or Wisconsin Administrative Rules, NR 5, “Boat Rules and Registration”. Local boating laws/ordinances are covered in collaboration with the Town of West Bend Boating Ordinances. The Water Safety Patrol prepared a handy laminated ordinance card which is available in a plastic box at the Gonring boat launch and our officers carry them in the patrol boats. Not all ordinance information is covered on this card. To see all details on ordinances, you can go to About BCL PRD > Ordinances & Guidelines on this site.
Water patrol has multiple responsibilities on Big Cedar Lake, Little Cedar Lake and Silver Lake:
- Search and rescue
- Buoying and marking
- Removing hazards to water navigation
- Patrolling the lakes during boating season and in winter
- Educating the public about water and ice safety
- Investigating watercraft and water-related accidents and drownings
To see announcements on lake news, water level advisories, or an emergency high water restriction, go to the Home page, scroll down, and enter your information in the Subscribe to receive News & Notices section. You can also follow the Big Cedar Lake PRD on Facebook.
