Saying they’re an accident waiting to happen, Chris Leonard, the head of Westport’s marine services division, wants to impose new regulations to control the speed of personal watercraft — jet skis — on part of the Westport River’s East Branch.

Leonard and several Drift Road residents spoke before the select board at its most recent meeting, saying the time for more town control over the small vessels has come.

“An accident could happen, and we are trying our best to get ahead of it,” Leonard said.

In Massachusetts, personal water crafts like jet skis cannot operate within 150 feet of the shore unless at headway speed. In a rule specific to Westport, these vehicles cannot operate above headway speed within 400 feet of the shore. There are, however, areas of the Westport River that are narrower than 300 feet, where there have been complaints that jet skis often break that rule.

Leonard told the board he hopes to and the Harbor Advisory Board hope to institute a Slow No Wake Zone protecting the area of the river between the Head of Westport and Kerby Brook. The proposed area would be marked off with signs, and offenders of the rule would be fined.

But, said Leonard, the solution is not so simple. On top of confusion surrounding the rules of the river, the problem of enforcement is something Leonard admits is troubling.

“The Harbor Master Department has $10,000 for part-time “as needed” people to keep the river safe on top of full-time people, and there is a lot of stuff we need to do on that river,” he said before noting that funding has severely limited the enforcement capabilities of his team.

Though enforcement is an issue, residents along the stretch of river at question agree with Leonard that something should be done.

“On a typical Saturday during high tide, we can see over half a dozen jet skiers zoom by our property,” said Jonathan Levi, whose position on the riverside allows an ample view of the water. “We are worried about people getting hurt, or even worse. This is really a critical issue. It’s not something that can just be allowed to continue on, it needs to be addressed now.”

“I have been disturbed by what I have seen with the personal watercraft users,” added Eileen Moncrief, another Drift Road resident. “The wake is very rough and I have seen people on personal water craft go after the swans ... they’re usually racing in tandem.”

Select board members agreed to revisit the matter at their meeting on Monday, Sept. 25, after the Harbor Advisory Board reconvenes to measure the river’s geography, analyze relevant ordinances, and involve the police in logging the offending jet skiers.