THE Manx public is being asked for its views on whether the Isle of Man’s reservoirs should be made more available for recreational use such as boating and watersports.
A consultation process has been announced by the Water & Sewage Authority which wants to debate whether “reasonable access” to the Island’s largest reservoirs should be permitted.
In a statement issued this morning, the authority said any future decision “must be weighed against the need for public safety and the protection of these valuable assets.”
It is currently against the law to use boats, motorised or otherwise, on any of the reservoirs, even on the largest such as Injebreck or Sulby.
Small yachts were at one time permitted on Injebreck reservoir, holding occasional competitions, but this practice ended some years ago.
Now, the Water Authority wants to gauge public opinion and is seeking “a sound evidence base” on which to base its Recreational Use Policy. It says the public’s input is therefore “invaluable”.
In the UK the majority of lakes and reservoirs appear to available for use for rowing boats, usually by anglers, and sailing boats at specific times. Normally the two are not permitted on the water at the same time.
The consultation process opens up the possibility of the Island’s beautiful reservoirs being used in a sensitive manner for greater access by the public, such as sailing excursions on the larger reservoirs using small vessels in the same way that the Lake District attracts many thousands of visitors each year.
However, the Water Authority wants to hear from anyone with ideas of how to utilise the recreational potential of the reservoirs and have been invited to make their opinions heard.
Karen Westcott, water quality manager for the authority, said the consultation was designed to allow the public the opportunity to have a say in the long-term management of the authority’s reservoirs and to enable a formal policy to be formulated.
“We would like to see the maximum possible response from the public and we believe there are a wide range of ideas out there based on the range of inquiries we have received in the past.”
Amongst previous requests was from a couple who wanted to hold a wedding ceremony blessing on the shores of one of the reservoirs and another from divers to use for training purposes.
“The reality is that the Water Authority doesn’t have a formal policy, so part of this consultation is designed to create a management strategy so that individual requests in the future have proper guidelines.
“However, this clearly opens up a number of opportunities and I’m sure there are some people out there who have ideas which could be very positive and beneficial to everyone. The message is that we are willing to consider any idea, in particular for the two reservoirs which are not used for public water supply - Cringle and Ballure.”
The consultation document provides details of the process and includes a questionnaire which can be downloaded for completion and return to the authority.
Alternatively, the questionnaire can also be submitted online by completing the survey form which can be found along within the consultation document under “Current Consultations” on the government website consultation page, http://www.gov.im/consultations.gov. Responses may also be e-mailed to karen.westcott@gov.im
The questionnaire is not live on the website at present, but will be available from October 31st.
