News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Rock Island State Park has reopened its Sandbar boat ramp and parking lots after closing for flooding last week.
Park Manager Damon Graham said that waters had receded enough to reopen, but that an influx of rain this week has park rangers closely monitoring the situation.
“At this time we don’t think where it will be enough o where parking lots will be underwater and we have any major closure of public areas, but it’s all dependent on Center Hill Lake,” Graham said. “And how much water they can have pass through to Center Hill Lake. ”
Graham said that they make decisions for closures based on park ranger checks, US Army Corps of Engineers reports, and TVA statistics. He said that they try to monitor lake levels to avoid unnecessary risks.
Graham said that trails are a little harder to make those kinds of calls. He said that they rely a little heavier on visitor accountability.
“Flash flood event is coming, and heavy rainfall, any trail can be overtaken,” Graham said. “So you know the statement in Tennesse is ‘turnaround don’t drown,’ that would apply to vehicles as well as people on trails. If you come to a stream crossing and water is raging, I definitely would advise turning around and coming back, because a small amount of water can sweep you off your feet fairly quickly. A lot of people don’t realize that.”
Graham said that when it comes to exploring the beautiful state parks Tennessee has to offer, such as Rock Island State Park, preparation is key. He said that there is an app from TVA you can download to preview the stats of the park.
Graham said that even if waters are high and it seems that trails aren’t safe to hike, there are always the overlooks that can provide beautiful scenery.
