A safer Lake Wawasee
for everyone on it.
The survey has closed.
Thank you to everyone who shared their input. Results will be published in the next member newsletter and summarized on this page.
Aggregate results only · Individual responses kept confidential
Lake Wawasee is safer because the WPOA invests in it.
Most lake residents don't realize how much of the everyday safety infrastructure around the lake exists because the WPOA paid for it, organized it, or operates it in partnership with Kosciusko County and Indiana DNR. The new Boater Safety Committee builds directly on this foundation.
Dry Fire Hydrants Around the Lake
WPOA funded the installation of dry fire hydrants positioned around Lake Wawasee, giving local fire departments instant water draw points for lakeside structure fires — cutting response and suppression time when minutes matter.
Severe Storm Sirens
WPOA funded the installation of severe-storm warning sirens positioned to reach the lake and surrounding neighborhoods — giving residents and boaters an audible warning when severe weather threatens.
Street Lights
WPOA funded the installation of street lights at the busiest intersections and approaches around the lake — improving visibility for drivers, walkers, and cyclists during evening hours and the long shoulder seasons.
Public Pump-Out Station
WPOA funded Lake Wawasee's free public pump-out station at the DNR boat ramp — keeping waste out of the water column, protecting water quality, and providing a free public utility every boater on the lake can use.
Indiana's Leading Lake Patrol
Operated in partnership with Indiana DNR and the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department, and fully funded by WPOA members, Lake Wawasee's Lake Patrol is widely recognized as the strongest lake-community patrol program in Indiana — on the water every day in season.
The Next Chapter: Boater Safety
In 2025 the WPOA Board chartered a dedicated Boater Safety Committee to expand the lake's safety work through 2028 — building on decades of fire, storm, lighting, and patrol investment with a new focus on the boaters and watercraft sharing Lake Wawasee.
Increase in Indiana boating
incidents per 10,000 vessels
since 2010
Growth in Indiana
rental boats
since 2010
of incidents involve PWCs —
only 7.5% of registered
vessels in Indiana
Lake Wawasee is busier, faster, and more complex than it used to be.
Boating on Lake Wawasee has changed dramatically. There are more first-time owners, far more rental boats, a surge in personal watercraft, and today's boats are larger and significantly more powerful than the boats from a generation ago.
At the same time, Indiana's boating incident rate has climbed 51% per 10,000 registered vessels since 2010. Where data is known, navigation-rule violations are a major contributing factor — the kind of close calls that good information and clear local norms can prevent.
In response, the WPOA Board chartered a Boater Safety Committee dedicated to making the Lake Wawasee experience safer for everyone — members, renters, guests, and first-time boaters alike. This page is the public home for that work.
The same lake the WPOA has protected for decades. A new effort to match how it's used today.
More first-time boat owners
Since 2006, first-time owners have risen from 23% to 31% of new boat sales nationally. More boats are operated by people new to the water.
Rental boats in Indiana
Rental fleets have grown dramatically since 2010. A significant share are operated by people with little or no hands-on boating experience.
New PWCs sold in Indiana since 2014
Personal watercraft account for 19% of boating incidents while making up only 7.5% of registered vessels.
Bigger, more powerful boats
Today's recreational boats are, on average, 25% larger and have 100% more horsepower than comparable vessels in 2006.
What to expect over the coming months
Five visible initiatives from the WPOA Boater Safety Committee, rolling out across the 2026 season and into 2027.
Launch of Wawasee's Safety Seven
Seven simple, memorable actions every boater on Lake Wawasee can take to keep this lake safer — from life jackets and right-of-way to no-wake respect, sober operation, and completing a boater safety course. Designed for first-time and lifelong boaters alike.
New signage across the lake
New WPOA Safety signage installed at the public boat launch, along the main channel, and at high-visibility points around Lake Wawasee — reinforcing the Safety Seven and core right-of-way rules at the exact moments boaters need them.
The Wawasee Boater Safety Card
A widely distributed 5×8" laminated card featuring the Safety Seven and the navigation rules most relevant to safe boating on Lake Wawasee — sized for your glovebox or boat console. Free for every WPOA household.
Strengthening Lake Patrol
Building on the WPOA-funded Lake Patrol program operated with Indiana DNR and the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department, the Committee is exploring additional patrol hours, on-water education resources, and focus areas that target the behaviors driving the most incidents.
Member engagement & observations
Lake Wawasee residents see more than any committee can. We're inviting WPOA members to share what they observe on the water and what they'd like the WPOA to consider — specific spots, recurring close calls, ideas for outreach. Your input shapes what comes next.
Print it. Keep it. Share it.
A two-sided take-home reference for every boater on Lake Wawasee. Side one is the Safety Seven. Side two is the navigation right-of-way that applies on our lake.
Share an observation or an idea.
Lake Wawasee residents see things from the dock and the deck that no committee can. If there's a spot where close calls keep happening, an idea you'd like the WPOA to consider, or a safety issue worth surfacing — tell us. The Committee reads every submission.
This summer marks the start of Lake Wawasee's Two-Year Safety Voyage.
WPOA Boater Safety Committee · September 2025
WPOA Boater Safety Committee
Chartered by the WPOA Board in 2025 to advance boater safety education and outreach on Lake Wawasee through 2028, in partnership with our existing Lake Patrol program.
Wawasee Property Owners Association, Inc. · 501(c)(3)
PO Box 427, Syracuse, IN 46567-0427 · 574-457-7172
pier0@wawaseeassociation.org
Help us make Lake Wawasee safer.
Take the survey, share what you see on the water, and look for the Safety Seven across the lake this season.