Morgan Hill
– Brett Hembree, Peter Tapley and Mike Dunn finished suiting up
and walked down a long ramp to do something they haven’t done in
almost six years: Ride their Jet Skis on Anderson Reservoir.
Morgan Hill – Brett Hembree, Peter Tapley and Mike Dunn finished suiting up and walked down a long ramp to do something they haven’t done in almost six years: Ride their Jet Skis on Anderson Reservoir.
All dressed up in their wet suits and helmets, the trio, who managed to get Monday off, slipped into the water and started up their crafts with a puff of smoke and slight roar. They were soon off and disappeared into the expanse of the lake.
The trio were among eight riders who took their personal watercraft to the lake to take advantage of the first day they were allowed back on the water.
“I’m ecstatic,” said San Jose’s Hembree said as he prepared for his day of riding. “It’s been a long five years.”
Hembree said last week he would wait for things to die down before he went out, but his friends changed his mind.
The personal watercraft were banned by the Santa Clara Valley Water District in 1998 after the cancer-causing gasoline additive MTBE was found to be contaminating the water. The district announced Wednesday jet skis would be allowed back on the water.
Although few riders were on the lake, Mike Bacon, senior park ranger at Anderson, said few riders allow boaters to get used to their presence.
“We are reintroducing jet skis back to Anderson,” Bacon said.
Bacon said flyers were handed out to both boaters and jet skiers informing them of the rules of the lake.
“The rangers talked with us and asked us to make sure we followed all the rules,” Hembree said.
“We hope everyone can get along and be good and not cause any trouble,” said Tapley, a 30-year Morgan Hill resident.
While people are getting used to the new boaters on the water ways, rangers will step up patrols slightly to make sure everyone is following water safety rules.
“I don’t see a big impact on what we will be doing, the only thing really different is there is a different type of boat out there,” Bacon said.
But while they were conscious of the rules, personal watercraft riders were just glad to be back on Anderson.
Tony Silva, 24, from San Jose took advantage of a day off which landed perfectly on the first day to ride on Anderson.
“This is so good,” Silva said. “It should have been this way all along.”
Over the past five years, Silva would go out to Coyote, Calero and Lake Tahoe, but said he was glad to have Anderson back.
Morgan Hill resident Matt Kirby, 21, has been riding for nearly five years, and had his first opportunity to ride on Anderson and said he loved it.
“It’s great on the water” Kirby said. “There shouldn’t be any problems.”
Numbers of total launches, personal watercraft and boats, will be determined by the water level. The Santa Clara County Department of Parks and Recreation will adhere to a one vessel per six surface acres of water for safety at all lakes: Calero, Coyote and Anderson.
Noise levels, which was a concern raised by residents of Holiday Lakes estates, will be monitored by park rangers at all three lakes with noise meters and by their ears.
California state standards put maximum decibel levels at 82 decibels.
Weekday launches will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis. Weekend launches require reservations through parks and recreation which can be reached at 355-2201 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or at www.parkhere.org.
