HINDMARSH Shire Council will lobby Transport Safety Victoria to allow boats to share the Wimmera River with water-skiiers near Dimboola.
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Council voted last week to change the area known as the Dimboola Ski Zone from an unrestricted speed zone to a special purpose zone.
Currently, vessels on the water must slow down to five knots when they are within 50 metres of a bank or shore, another vessel, or a person in the water.
Mayer Rob Gersch said council wanted to rezone the areas because there was a boat access ramp in the unrestricted zone, which was used to access parts of the river upstream of the Dimboola Ski Zone.
He said rezoning would retain the river's social fabric.
"We're trying to work with the community to come to a compromise that will include safety," he said.
Dimboola Boat and Water Ski Club president Russell Hunter said he was happy with the move from council.
"The area has been used for water-skiing singe the early 1970s and this is just further progression to legalise use of the waterway," he said.
"It enables a transit lane on both sides of the bank to allow the passage of fishing and other vessels to pass through safely."
Council infrastructure services director Douglas Gowans reported to council that rezoning the area to a special purpose zone would merely reflect current practice on the river.
He said handing over management of the area to the State Government could lead to tighter restrictions.
He advised council if the State Government was to assume control, policing of the existing unrestricted speed zone could be enforced, or the speed limit reduced to five knots for all vessels.
Cr Gersch said council wanted to retain management of the waterway rather than hand it over to the State Government.
"All we're trying to do is for council to retain the autonomy, because it is quite complicated with all the various speeds," he said.
"There are anomalies and that is where council would like to retain the running of it so we can work with the community."