USING Lake Garfield

The Lake Garfield town beach is a public beach, parking passes are not needed. Lifeguards are on duty during the summer season.

Parking: Parking spots in the front are for lake residents. Non residents may park on the grass area north of the beach.

For Emergencies call the Town Beach Phone — 413-528-3831

Beach Rules

• No alcohol
• No smoking
• No dogs
• No glass
• No fires
• No floatation devices
• No swimming outside buoys
• No throwing of any objects
• No swimming when thunder or lightning can be heard or seen
• No running, pushing, or flipping off docks
• No climbing, sitting, standing on shoulders of other swimmers
• Any child not potty trained must wear a swim diaper
• Lifeguards must be obeyed

There is a small cement boat ramp (73°12'35.06"W 42°11'23.40"N) and a grass parking lot owned and managed by the town of Monterey at the western end of the lake off Tyringham Road.

Boat Launching between the hours of 10 am and 6 pm requires police supervision. An on-duty lifeguard will call for assistance. No swimming is allowed from the boat ramp.

Public access to the shores of Lake Garfield is extremely limited. For more boating information on Lake Garfield please contact the Police Chief at 413-528-1443 x116 or x225 or Harbormaster at 528-3211

Please help us keep Lake Garfield clean by making sure your boat, trailer, and boating equipment are free of zebra mussels and milfoil.

Massachusetts is trying to prevent the spread of zebra mussels and is now requiring anyone launching a boat to fill in the Zebra Mussel Clean Boat Certification Form. The state requires that you display it on the dashboard of your car before you launch your boat. You can read more about how to clean you boat HERE.

The following Northeast waters all contain zebra or quagga mussels:

MASSACHUSETS
Laurel Lake
Housatonic River south of Woods Pond in Lenox only

CONNECTICUT
East/West Twin Lakes
Lakes Zoar and Lillinonah

NEW YORK
Ballston Lake
Hudson River
Lake George
Mohawk River
Saratoga Lake
Saint Lawrence River
The Finger Lakes

VERMONT
Lake Bomoseen
Lake Champlain
Lake Hortonia

Why is there an area of the lake with slush? Is it dangerous? Does it mean the ice is too thin?

This happens when it is cold and there is thick ice and snow. The weight of the ice and snow pushes down on the water and forces it up through cracks in the ice. Another explanation: A thaw/freeze cycle turns the snow pack on top of the ice into a slush sandwich with an icy crust on top and lake ice underneath.

In Lake Garfield, the dangerous areas are where the water flows from the beach on the north side of the small bowl and north of the island and continuing into the middle of the channel. The main lake is all safe.

A summary of Massachusetts boating law including: Minimum age; safety education; required safety equipment and a listing of types of operation that are prohibited or considered unsafe.

Minimum Age Restrictions

No person under 12 years of age may operate a motorboat, unless accompanied on-board and directly supervised by a competent person 18 years of age or older. Personal watercraft (PWC) users must still be at least 16 years of age in order to operate, with no exceptions.

Safety Education Certification

Youth who are between 12 and 15 years of age must complete an approved basic boating course in order to operate a motorboat without adult supervision. Upon successful completion of such a course, students are issued a state "boating safety certificate" which must be in the possession of the certified operator when underway. Personal watercraft users who are 16 or 17 years of age must also complete such a boating course. Youth less than 16 years of age are not allowed to operate personal watercraft.

Accident Reporting

The operator of any motorboat involved in an accident which results in personal injury, death, or property damage (over $500) shall immediately notify the MA Environmental Police and file the appropriate accident report within the required time frame. (2 days-fatality; 5 days - all other accidents)

Safety Equipment

Most of the state equipment carriage requirements are similar to federal laws. This primary list includes life preservers, fire extinguishers, signaling devices, visual distress signals, and navigation lights. In Massachusetts, life preservers are required to be worn by: (1) youth less than 12 years of age (2) personal watercraft users (3) waterskiers (4) canoeists/kayakers from September 15 - May 15. A boat owner or a boat's operator is responsible to ensure that passengers on-board wear life preservers as required. Additionally, the state requires that all motorboats (with the exception of personal watercraft) be equipped with an anchor, manual bailer, and line. A paddle or an oar is required on boats less than 16 feet in length. Motorboats towing skiers must also be equipped with a boarding ladder. Registration and numbering of all boats powered by machinery is required.

Prohibited Operation

The following types of operation are extremely unsafe and are prohibited:

• Operating any vessel under the influence of alcohol or drugs. A blood alcohol concentration of .08 BAC is the current standard of intoxication in Massachusetts. Penalties have increased substantially and may include the loss of a motor vehicle driver's license.
• Operating a motorboat within 150 feet of a swimming area, whether public or private.
• Operating at an excessive speed considering weather conditions, boat traffic, and other hazards. For inland waters, operating at a speed greater than 45 mph is considered negligent operation.
• Operating a motorboat without properly working lights.
• Operating a motorboat during the nighttime while towing waterskiers, tubers, etc.
• Operating at greater than headway speed (6 mph or less) within 150 feet of a swimmer, waterskier, mooring area, marina, boat launch, or when the operator's vision is obscured in any way.
• Operating in an overloaded condition (carrying total weight that exceeds capacity plate recommendations or is excessive considering water conditions)
• Operating with passengers on the bow, gunwales, or any other place where there may be a chance of falling overboard.

Personal Watercraft (Jetski) Operation

Personal watercraft (PWC) are considered motorboats by law and must comply with all boating laws and navigation rules, including the speed and operation provisions above. Additionally, PWC users must adhere to state regulations specific to personal watercraft operation:

• Wear an approved life jacket (PFD) at all times (operator and passengers).
• Attach the safety lanyard to the operator and the cutoff/kill switch.
• Always operate at slow, no-wake speed (6 mph or less) within 150 feet of a swimmer, the shoreline, a water-skier, a boat launch, a raft or float or a moored or docked boat

You must not operate a PWC/Jetski:

• If less than 16 years old
• Under the influence of alcohol
• Between sunset and sunrise
• At high speed in congested areas
• On waters under 75 acres
• While towing persons on skis, tubes, etc.