The Lake Ouachita Field Office anticipates increased boating traffic over Memorial Day weekend and is urging visitors to take extra safety precautions.
Amy Shultz, natural resource specialist, said all campsites have reopened on Lake Ouachita following flooding and high water in early May.
"We got our last campsites open on Tuesday with Little Fir," she said. "The only area still closed because of high water is the Twin Creek Day Use Area, but that's not campsites. At Little Fir, there was a lot of cleanup of debris. Twin Creek is just too wet.
"We don't have many RV sites left and I expect those will all be booked by the end of the day. We still have plenty of tent campsites, but of the RV sites we have five left at Joplin and one at Denby."
Shultz said the water had receded to 579.19 feet above mean sea level as of 9 a.m. Wednesday. The flood pool starts at 578 feet msl.
Rangers have been cleaning up debris from storm damage and high water in different areas, she said.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a news release that several people lose their lives visiting Corps lands and waters each year, and the majority of these fatalities are water-related.
In the release, a few points were stressed to reduce the chances of injury or fatality on the water.
Expecting the unexpected is key to water safety. An individual who is ejected from a boat, or who falls or jumps into water that is colder than 70 degrees, can inhale water from involuntarily gasping, hyperventilation, panic, or vertigo, all of which can lead to drowning.
The Corps stresses the importance of wearing a life jacket. An adult can drown in 60 seconds and it takes a strong swimmer 10 minutes to put on a life jacket once in the water, the release said. It is also important to know one's swimming abilities.
Alcohol induces an inner ear condition -- caloric labyrinthitis -- that can cause someone to become disoriented when underwater. Additionally, "boater's hypnosis" is brought on by the effects of the sun, wind, noise, vibration and motion, and can slow boaters' reaction time, it said.
Moving into the weekend, the main concern for Lake Ouachita, Shultz said, is increased traffic.
"Things we see a lot of on the first holiday are people's boats aren't equipped," Shultz said. "We will be doing courtesy boat checks to make sure people's boats are equipped. If not, this won't get them a ticket, but we will ask that they go get whatever it is they need.
"We also see a lot of impatience at the boat ramps because they're so crowded. We just ask that people be patient. And then out on the lake, we're going to see a lot more traffic. The weather is supposed to be clear and pretty. With more people on the lake it's important to always use defensive driving."
Shultz said visitors should also take precautions when driving through busy campgrounds.
"We have a lot of families with kids and they may not be watching them very close," she said. "Kids will ride their bikes out in the road or dart out and drivers need to slow down and watch for them. Always be on the lookout for kids and animals."
When it comes to swimming in the lake, Shultz said many people don't realize diving from rocks and cliffs is against the law.
"It is very dangerous and we've had a lot of incidents and injuries from cliff diving over the years," she said.
Local on 05/23/2019