BLOUNTS CREEK — Speed limits will soon need to be heeded on a Blounts Creek tributary.

During the Sept. 6 meeting of the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners, commissioners voted to petition the state to make Little Creek a “No Wake Zone” after a Wildlife Resources Commission investigation determined there are hazards in traveling the shallow creek at higher speeds.

Little Creek is located approximately 1 mile up Blounts Creek from the Mouth of the Creek Road bridge. County Planning Director Seth Laughlin said there are multiple boat docks on Little Creek, but the issue is not with the boaters — it’s with those piloting personal watercraft such as Jet Skis and Waverunners. Residents with outboard motors must navigate slowly with motors trimmed to maneuver Little Creek’s 2- to 2 ½-foot channel. Since personal watercraft can operate in very shallow water, these smaller vessels can travel at much greater speeds, which could be hazardous to all watercraft.

“This results with the potential for larger, vulnerable boats traveling slowly, interacting with high-speed wave runners in very confined conditions,” Laughlin wrote in a summary of the no wake zone request.

“I think their issue is that it’s shallow,” Laughlin said. “Kids are coming through at high rates of speed on Waverunners.”

As an application for a no wake zone must come from a local government with jurisdiction over the waters, rather than private citizens, commissioners approved the application, but with the understanding that the county does not pay for the signage, its upkeep, nor enforces the zone.

“In the past, we have asked the person who wanted the no wake zone to pay for signs and buoys,” said Commissioner Hood Richardson. “Whatever the expense is, it’s not the county’s.”

“We just do the prep stuff, but once it’s been approved, they (WRC) handle it from there,” said board Chairman Jerry Langley.

Laughlin said the county is required to hold a public meeting regarding the proposed no wake zone and formally request WRC take action on the proposal. WRC’s internal review of the application can take up to six months, he said.