Permit Denied for Jet Ski World Finals
Organizers of a personal watercraft race that attracts some of the world’s top competitors were denied a permit to hold the event in Mission Bay because of environmental concerns.
The California Coastal Commission voted this week to deny a permit to the International Jet Sports Boating Assn. to stage its 1999 Jet Ski World Finals, expected to attract 750 competitors.
The competition had been held in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., the past 17 years, but the association wanted to hold it Oct. 10-17 in San Diego.
San Diego officials had decided that it was unnecessary to request a formal environmental impact report on whether the event would contribute to pollution of the city’s 4,600-acre water park, but commissioners said they wanted to see one because of conflicting information.
Most personal watercraft have engines that use fuel inefficiently and discharge up to 30% of unburned fuel into the air and water, according to a report presented to the commission.
Stephen Andranian, a boating association official, said the sport is unfairly stigmatized as too dangerous, too loud and too dirty.
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