News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Flooding continues to impact recreational areas at Dale Hollow Lake.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Park Ranger Sondra Carmen said a number of campground sites may have delayed season openings because of the high water.
“The biggest questions we’re getting right now [are] ‘what about the campgrounds? Is your opening season going to be set as originally scheduled?'”, Carmen said. “To be quite honest, we really don’t know because you can’t assess the damage until the water gets off. We have to make sure everything is viewed and checked for safety to our customers before we open the campgrounds.”
A total of 152 campsites remain underwater at Obey River and Lilly Dale Campgrounds. Carmen said the Army Corps of Engineers will decide on delaying season openings after surveying damage.
“We’ve been through this before. We experienced the last episode in 2010 and we are basing our way forward on what we have already experienced,” Carmen said. “We may be able to open on time, but we aren’t sure until we actually see what has been damaged.”
Year-round campgrounds will be closed for the entire month of March, Carmen said.
Carmen is also concerned about several launching ramps that remain covered with water and could put boaters at risk.
“You can’t see the ramp. You don’t know if you’re going to back off the edge or hit a guardrail that’s under water,” Carmen said. “Lots of drift has come up into the parking areas and that’s going to pile up as the lake recedes. As the lake starts recede there’s also going to be a lot of washing and potential undercutting that could actually wash out a launch ramp.”
Carmen said boaters should also be aware of navigational buoys that have washed away as vessels could potentially strike underwater hazards.
“If you do want to go out and launch a vessel we encourage you to contact the location of where you are going to launch, even if the location is open,” Carmen said. “Even though the Corps of Engineers has not officially closed our launching ramps, we know some of our marinas have.”
Dale Hollow Lake rose to its third-highest elevation in history last month after the watershed received an average rainfall of 13 inches.
Recent flooding has also impacted recreational areas at some of the adjacent lake systems. You can view campground information by visiting www.recreation.gov.
