A proposed controversial new rule to slow boaters on two popular Lake Minnetonka bays was unanimously rejected Wednesday after dozens of residents opposed it.

The Lake Minnetonka Conservation District denied the petition from some lake residents to establish a "quiet water area" on parts of Harrisons and West Arm bays — the first speed rule that would have been added to the Twin Cities' largest lake since 2008.

Dozens of people turned out last month to address the conservation district's board about the speed restriction, mostly against the rule affecting about a 2-mile perimeter of the bays, saying it wasn't needed. The three couples behind the petition argued that the rule, which would have prohibited boaters from going more than 5 miles per hour or creating a wake, would prevent accidents and shoreline erosion caused by speeding boaters in increasingly bigger boats.

After the opposition to the rule, the petitioners revised their request, reducing the width of the restriction and limiting it to weekends and holidays. But the conservation district's board said there wasn't enough public safety concerns in the area.

The board, however, did refer the issue back to the district's public safety committee — which includes representatives of the board, state Department of Natural Resources and Hennepin County — to study possible safety issues in a 430-foot-wide area between Deering Island and Shadywood Point.

KELLY SMITH