The 16-year-old thinks it’s fun to mill around on a watercraft. The summer will be spent at Storsjøen in Odalen in the Inland. But he can not drive on the entire 40 square kilometer sea. Because it is divided approximately in the middle between Sør-Odal and Nord-Odal, and the two municipalities have different regulations for motor traffic. In one municipality it is allowed with watercraft, in the other it is forbidden. – It is difficult to know where you can drive and where it is not allowed to drive. I think a sea should have the same rules everywhere, says Oliver Kalbakk. Invisible border Thomas Amundsen in Odalen Sjømerkeforening has contacted both municipalities twice in recent years to achieve a similar set of rules. – A sea should have the same regulations. It creates unnecessary uncertainty that there is an invisible boundary out on the water. There are many visitors who come here, and it can not be expected that everyone knows where the border goes, says Amundsen. UNCERTAINTY: Thomas Amundsen of Odalen Sjømerkeforening believes that the various rules create unnecessary uncertainty. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo There are national laws that regulate motor traffic on water, on land and in the air. They must protect the natural environment and promote well-being. In addition, each municipality can make its own regulations. Nord-Odal’s regulations are from 1999, while Sør-Odal decided its regulations in 1995. The national rules have changed and Thomas Amundsen believes it is time to look at the local rules again as well. – Then it is to be expected that municipalities that share lakes and watercourses will be able to agree on equal rules, he says. It was the newspaper Glåmdalen that first mentioned this case. Different rules for houseboats as well It is not only when it comes to the use of personal watercraft that the practice at sea is different. Also when it comes to houseboats, the two municipalities have different rules. The municipality that says yes to watercraft, ie Nord-Odal, says no to houseboats and vice versa. Vinjar Engebretsen has inherited an old houseboat from the 1970s, which he now owns together with four others. He could imagine using the whole sea and thinks it is a little unfair that it is not possible. HOUSE BOAT: Vinjar Engebretsen has a houseboat on Storsjøen and also wishes he could use the whole sea. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo He does not quite see the difference between the houseboat and the largest boats. – The houseboat is about as many feet as the largest leisure boats that go in Storsjøen, around 40 feet. Even though it is a bit wider, it is at least not a racer. The houseboat has a small outboard engine that makes around 1.3 knots. The largest boats here can run at 30-35 knots, he says. Engebretsen has also contacted the municipality about this matter. Will join forces Rune Skolbekken in Nord-Odal municipality understands that those who use the sea are calling for equal rules. – It is an advantage for both those who use the sea and for us who work in the municipalities to have the same regulations, he says. Skolbekken understands that it is difficult to know where the municipal boundary goes out on the water. COORDINATION: Advisor in Nord-Odal municipality, Rune Skolbekken, promises that the two municipalities will coordinate their rules. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo / news Municipal manager for community development in Sør-Odal, Ann Helen Stangnes, completely agrees that something should be done. The two municipalities will together prepare a proposal for common rules. – We started on it just over two years ago, but then came the corona and things have been postponed, but we will tackle it again, says Skolbekken. Will it be allowed or not? The question is whether watercraft and houseboats will be allowed on the entire Storsjøen, or whether it will be banned in both municipalities. There will be no co-ordination of the rules this summer. For things take time. After the proposal is ready, it must go out for consultation. In the end, it is the politicians who decide. – It will be an interesting case to get on the table. I think we should think carefully before we make a decision, says Knut Hvithammer, Labor mayor in Sør-Odal. Environment and safety are among the things that must be considered. WATERCRAFT: Also this summer, Oliver Kalbakk must try to stay on the right side of the «water boundary». Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo / news In the meantime, 16-year-old Oliver Kalbakk and the others with watercraft must make sure that they do not cross the border into the neighboring municipality. – I try to stay on the right side of the border, and I think I can do it, he says.
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In Storsjøen in Odalen, there are different rules for traffic in the municipalities of Nord-Odal and Sør-Odal – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
