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  • Boaters Urged To Use Extra Caution Even As Lake Levels Start To Fall

Boaters Urged To Use Extra Caution Even As Lake Levels Start To Fall

June 06, 2024 Steve Schwaller

(Orleans)– Water levels of the Iowa Great Lakes appear to be slowly receding now. Big Spirit Lake was at 15.47 feet this (Thurs.) morning, after being as high as 15.52 feet on Wednesday. The Okoboji’s were at 5.66 feet, after peaking at 5.69 feet on Wednesday. Mike Hawkins of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says Big Spirit did hit a bench mark with this high water event as it is currently over the ordinary high water line…

“For Big Spirit that’s kind of that transition and actually a legal definition of where the aquatic environment kind of turns to that terrestrial environment, kind of where the trees start to grow is kind of the best way to describe that. And so not out of the ordinary for these types of water levels. We still have maybe eight tenths of a foot to go on West Okoboji before we would hit that ordinary high water line.”

Even though the lakes are starting to drop, Hawkins says it’s important boaters be considerate of lakeshore property owners…

“Stay further away from shore with your boat; avoid those medium speeds that we see folks kind of plowing through the water with their boat. Those can create some really large wakes the end up coming to shore. People just need to be responsible for that wake and understand that lakes are high and the wake that they’re throwing from their boat has the potential to cause some damage.”

Hawkins says waves caused by boats, along with that from the wind, creates wakes that can damage shorelines, docks, and hoists.

***UPDATE*** As an update to this story, KUOO news has been receiving reports of docks and boat hoists being destroyed or damaged due to today’s (Thurs.) strong wind. Most of those are located along the southern shorelines which are taking a pounding from the combination of the strong wind, large waves and high water levels.

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