For the first time since 1985, there will be no channel markers to guide boaters through parts of the Connecticut River. The area from Hatfield to the Holyoke Dam will go without buoys warning of rocky outcroppings and fast waters.
The key issue is a lack of sustainable funding: the channel markers had been kept afloat by a mix of local boat excise taxes and money from the utility company Holyoke Gas & Electric, which signed an agreement to commit some funding as part of it's license with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
But neither of those funding streams has been able to keep pace with the cost of the markers program, according to Sarah LaValley, the assistant director of Northampton's Department of Planning and Sustainability.
"Although it's kept up with the price of the consumer price index and inflation, it hasn't kept up with the the actual cost of placing, replacing and maintaining the channel markers," she said.
That leaves boaters mostly on their own as they navigate the Connecticut River this summer. The river is unique in that it isn't governed by the Coast Guard, nor does it fall under the jurisdiction of any one community.
"It's sort of the regulatory no man's land of rivers in a lot of ways." LaValley explained.
Some local marina owners have chosen to take matters into their own hands, purchasing informative markers to display near their boat launches.
"I paid out of pocket," said Gary Pelissier. He owns Sportsman's Marina in Hadley.
"Because we have a lot of people that launch out of our Marina, the boat facility. It's a no-wake zone to the bridge zone anyways, but a lot of people don't know that," Pelissier said. "And we have a lot of rowing programs. Amherst College, Smith College, UMass, Yankee Rowing Club. And across from us they'll also launch canoes and kayaks. So it's a safety issue."
Holyoke Gas & Electric's contribution is a set payment that increases year over year, dictated by their FERC license. Meanwhile, LaValley says boat excise taxes just don't generate enough revenue to make up the difference.
"Participating communities in Northampton, Holyoke, Hadley and South Hadley contribute boat excise taxes, but boat excise taxes in the western part of the state are really incredibly minimal," LaValley explained. "We're only looking at a total of maybe $2,000 or $3,000 per community a year. Because they're smaller boats, a lot of them are exempt. A lot of them are registered in New Hampshire."
LaValley said that local officials have been scraping cash together for years to keep the markers funded, but they ultimately hit the end of their rope.
"Basically we didn't we didn't have any money left to continue this program," she said. "We were able to patch it together for a couple of years by moving money at the beginning of the fiscal year to be able to sign a contract. But we we really hit a wall, and we're not able to do that for this building season."
It's unclear what comes next for the channel marker program. State Rep. Lindsey Sabadosa, D-Northampton, was working on legislation to establish a state funding stream earlier this year, but missed a key filing deadline back in December. A multi-billion dollar environmental bond bill from Gov. Maura Healey introduced in June would seek to establish a fund to help maintain the Connecticut River, which could end up paying for more markers.
"This inclusion in the bond bill doesn't create any new funding," according to LaValley. "But it just opens the door for a different mechanism to allow this work to happen."
Until that mechanism is formerly created, both LaValley and Pelissier say they hope that local boaters use an abundance of caution while out on the water.
