Herewith find a letter to the AYC from the state of Maine regarding moorings:

June18, 2021

To all involved regarding the mooring issue on Androscoggin Lake in Wayne, Maine:

DACF Navigational Aid Supervisor Tim Thurston, Androscoggin Yacht Club Representative David Stevenson and I met at the lake today.  We placed small, temporary buoys to designate a clear, defined navigational channel.  These buoys delineate the proper area and distance from shore the watercraft moorings will need to be.  The moorings will need to be placed within the designated buoy line and the nearest shoreline.  The mooring cannot be in the established channel and/or outside the water safety zone.

NOTE: The temporary buoys are painted purple and are marked with a State of Maine property tag.  At some point, the town of Wayne or Yacht Club will need to purchase the proper green and red buoys to mark the channel.

Also, Supervisor Thurston and I marked every mooring/anchor and watercraft in violation with yellow flagging tape.  If an individual’s mooring/anchor or watercraft is marked with yellow flagging tape it needs to be moved to comply with state law.  Some will need to be totally removed; while others may need to be moved so the watercraft moored does not swing into the channel.  It is obvious some anchors/moorings are not being used or have been abandon; these will also need to be moved.  This notice is to be considered the start of the 14-day notice regarding the marked {yellow flagged}, abandon or empty moorings.

In the interest of boating safety and navigation, the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry {DACF} has basic rules when it comes to the placement of moorings. These rules work hand in hand with the Water Safety Zone.  Objects placed beyond the Water Safety Zone may be considered a hazard to navigation.  If public safety or navigation is at risk and it has been determined that objects placed beyond the Water Safety Zone are in fact a hazard, they may be removed by DACF without notification. 

To make sure everyone is in compliance with State of Maine law; the rule states: No mooring will be placed so that it or the object moored thereto extends beyond the Water Safety Zone or 1/3 the distance to the opposite shore whichever is less. In addition, no mooring may be placed in State waters in a marked channel or a Fairway or in a manner that would impede access to a public boat launch facility or deny the right of free navigation.

MOORING BUOYS: To avoid mistaking mooring buoys for aids to navigation or regulatory markers, they shall be colored white with a single BLUE horizontal band clearly visible above the water line.

I appreciate everyone’s patience as we work through this.  Any questions please call me.

Respectfully,

Corporal David D. Chabot
Bureau of Warden Service

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
Office: (207) 287-5240 Cell: (207) 557-0530