With rapidly rising lake stages and massive amounts of debris, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers urges boaters to take more precautions on Lake Ouachita.
As of 3 p.m., Thursday, Lake Ouachita turned 581.88 ft above mean sea degree, greater than three ft above the flood pool level, starting offevolved at 578 ft MSL.
“We’re ready to see what rain we get Saturday, but we are projected to hit 582 (ft MSL),” Amy Shultz, herbal useful resource specialist, Lake Ouachita Field Office, instructed The Sentinel-Record.
Shultz said there was a moderate wreck as Lake Ouachita was not hit as hard with rains Wednesday as other areas of Garland County; however, the National Weather Services predicts rain possibilities through Saturday, with wet weather returning midweek.
According to a news release from the Lake Ouachita Field Office, large amounts of particles have washed into the lake after heavy rain from a chain of storms that surpassed the place the previous few weeks. As a result of heavy rains throughout the country, Lake Ouachita continues growing.
Shultz stated that debris, including downed timber and stumps, is carried into the lake by sturdy currents, making boaters’ conditions unsafe.
“We’ve simply had a variety of people complain due to the fact they have hit those bushes and damaged their boats all due to the fact they could not see it out at the water,” she stated.
“Thankfully, we have not had any fatalities on Lake Ouachita, but people think the high water is not as dangerous as when the lake temperatures are low, but that is not the case. They don’t suspect particles because they can’t see them.
“There’s commonly a lot of cleanup after the main flooding event like this,” she said.
Shultz said rangers must be as cautious with their patrol boats because of the particles.
The Corps of Engineers stresses that each time boaters take to the water, they gradually down, always put on an existence jacket, put on a “kill switch,” and “maintain a vigilant lookout for water risks.”
“Across the district, we’ve already had more than one fatality —not on Lake Ouachita—because of no longer wearing a lifestyle jacket,” Shultz said. We recognize that had these people been wearing their existence jackets, those might not have been fatal.”
According to the release, heat weather may be deceiving as rain-cooled water remains very cool, and “bloodless water immersion can bring about a gasp reflex and probably hypothermia.”
Shultz said the corps also discourages humans from boating at night due to low visibility and particles. Boaters who take to the water at night time are encouraged to go away a waft plane with their family members or friends, make certain all lights are operating on the boat, and bring a completely charged cellphone or marine band radio to name for help.
