Section 19-306. Temporary citywide boater safety and wake reduction task force

a. For the purpose of this section the following terms shall  be  defined as follows:
    1.  "Hand-powered vessel" means every non-mechanically propelled water
  craft operating within the city of New York or its  territorial  waters,
  including rowboats, kayaks, racing shells canoes, and sailboats.
    2.  "Hand-powered  vessel launch" means any dock, slip or pier located
  within the city of New York or its territorial waters capable  of  being
  utilized by a hand-powered vessel.
    3.  "Operator" means any person or private or governmental entity that
  owns  or  operates  a  water-borne  mechanically-propelled   vessel   or
  water-borne hand-powered vessel.
    4.  "Point of embarkation or disembarkation" means any portal point of
  entry or exit onto or off of a water-borne vessel, or into or out of the
  main cabin area of such water-borne vessel.
    5. "Wake" shall mean all changes in the vertical height of the water's
  surface caused by the passage of a water-borne vessel including, but not
  limited to, such craft's bow wave, stern wake and propeller wash.
    6. "Water-borne commercial services facility" means  any  dock,  slip,
  pier  or terminal located within the city of New York or its territorial
  waters and capable of being utilized by a water-borne  vessel,  and  any
  concession,  ticket purchasing or other facility or amenity available at
  or on such dock, pier,  slip  or  terminal  but  excluding  hand-powered
  vessel launches.
    7.  "Water-borne  vessel" means every water craft operating within the
  city of New York or its territorial waters, including commuter  ferries,
  tugboats,  speedboats, motorboats and personal watercraft, but excluding
  seaplanes.
    b. Within ninety days of the effective date  of  this  section,  there
  shall  be  established  a  temporary  citywide  boater  safety  and wake
  reduction task force.  Such  task  force  shall  be  comprised  of  nine
  members,  four  of whom shall be appointed by the speaker of the council
  and five of whom shall be  appointed  by  the  mayor.  The  mayor  shall
  designate  one  member  as  the  chairperson.  To  the  extent possible,
  appointments  to  the  task  force  shall  reflect  the   interests   of
  water-borne  vessel  operators,  the  port authority of New York and New
  Jersey, the United States coast guard and other  appropriate  regulatory
  agencies,  hand-powered  vessel  operators, operators of privately-owned
  piers and  marinas  within  the  city  of  New  York,  owners  of  other
  waterfront  property, experts on the waterfront environment, and members
  of the general public. Each appointed task force member may  be  removed
  for cause by the appointing authority and any vacancy shall be filled in
  the  same  manner  as  the  appointment was made. The temporary citywide
  boater safety and wake reduction task force shall be deemed  established
  upon the appointment of four of its members.
    c.  Members  of  the  task  force shall serve without compensation and
  shall meet when deemed necessary by  the  chairperson  or  whenever  the
  department  or  the  department  of  parks and recreation proposes rules
  relating to the travel of water-borne vessels on  waterways  within  the
  territorial  waters  of  New  York  city, but in no event shall the task
  force meet less often than three times in every calendar year.
    d. The task force shall examine, but need not be limited to, examining
  the following issues: existing and proposed  points  of  embarkation  or
  disembarkation  in the territorial waters of New York city; existing and
  proposed hand-powered  vessel  launches;  geographic  areas  where  wake
  impacts are currently or may in the future adversely affect hand-powered
  or  water-borne  vessel  launches,  and/or  hand-powered  or water-borne
  vessel users; geographic areas where wake impacts  are  causing  or  may

  cause  possible  erosion of shore front property and wetlands; community
  outreach; education, enforcement, and any other activities  relating  to
  improvements in boater safety and the reduction of wakes.
    e.  The  task  force shall issue a report to the speaker and the mayor
  within twelve to fifteen months  from  the  establishment  of  the  task
  force. Such report shall include, but not be limited to, recommendations
  for  minimizing  wake  impacts  on  hand-powered  or  water-borne vessel
  launches and/or hand-powered or  water-borne  vessel  users;  minimizing
  wake impacts to shore front property; community outreach; education; and
  enforcement  activities.  Such  report  shall  be  posted  on the city's
  website within seven days from its submission to  the  speaker  and  the
  mayor.  The  task  force  shall  cease  operation  one  year  after  the
  submission of the report.