State curbs boat speeds on high waters at Lake of the Ozarks

Temporary ban will stay in place as long as lake levels are way up

Crowds of tourists spent part of Thursday morning, July 2, bumping shoulders in an effort to snap a close up of the millions of gallons of water spilling from Bagnell Dam's open floodgates.
Crowds of tourists spent part of Thursday morning, July 2, bumping shoulders in an effort to snap a close up of the millions of gallons of water spilling from Bagnell Dam's open floodgates.

Unless the water levels drop, it will be slow boating on the Lake of the Ozarks this holiday weekend.

Lake visitors also shouldn't count on water skiing, or ride jet skis or do anything else that causes a wake - because the Missouri Highway Patrol's Water Division has ordered a Lake-wide No Wake zone, thanks to the high water levels.

"What that means is, boats will have to use idle speed for the entire Lake, until the water goes down to a safe level and the Department of Public Safety can lift that directive," Gov. Jay Nixon told reporters Thursday afternoon. "With this No Wake directive, we are counting on boaters to be courteous and responsible toward all who use the Lake and have property on it."

Nixon said officials aren't trying to limit Missourians' fun at the Lake, but they are trying to save lives and protect property.

Failure to obey the No Wake directive is a Class B misdemeanor, the governor's office said, and a conviction could include a punishment of up to six months in a county jail.

The No Wake rule doesn't apply to emergency responders but, Nixon said, "We certainly don't want the Highway Patrol's Water Patrol division boats creating a big wake by having to go fast to catch people who are violating it.

"But make no mistake - we are going to enforce this emergency order."

Warren Witt, Ameren Missouri's director of Hydro Operations, said Thursday afternoon the Lake had reached 662.5 feet above sea level - which is 2.5 feet above what's considered "full pool" and 4.5 feet above the level Ameren normally likes to keep.

He said Ameren officials opened the dam's floodgates Wednesday after the Lake reached 661.5 feet.

"We thought we had it pretty well stabilized but, with the rain we got (Wednesday) night, we went up another foot," he said.

Gov. Jay Nixon told reporters Ameren was releasing water through the gates "at a little over 80,000 cubic feet per second."

That's the equivalent of 598,440 gallons of water every second - or more than 2.154 billion gallons every hour (the new Taum Sauk reservoir holds about 1.5 billion gallons).

Even at that rate, Witt said, it will take "probably two or three days" to get the Lake level "back down below 660 feet."

Nixon said the No Wake order would remain in effect until the Lake level falls below 661 feet, which he and Ameren hope will happen by mid-day Saturday, unless there's more rain.

"When the Lake is this full, the risk of property damage and, even, personal injury as a result of large wakes from boats becomes even greater," the governor said.

Witt also warned of danger from extra debris in the Lake.

"We've got a lot of sticks and logs and debris that creates a boating hazard," Witt explained, "and that's another reason for people not to be going fast in their boats on the Lake, for a couple of days."

The high water levels also increases the danger of electrocution from submerged power lines.

Ameren issued a news release recommending "Lake and Osage River property owners turn off electricity running to their docks or any other structures that might be submerged. As the water levels recede, residents should exercise caution and consider having their structures inspected when turning the power back on."

The combination of Wednesday night's storms and the Bagnell Dam water releases caused quick fluctuations on the Osage River below the dam.

At St. Thomas, where the flood stage is 23 feet, the Osage was at 14 feet at noon Wednesday - and 22.5 feet at noon Thursday.

The National Weather Service predicted a crest at 25.4 feet about midnight Thursday, with a predicted level of 24 feet at noon today and 20 feet - three feet below flood stage - by midnight tonight.

Witt noted Ameren Missouri and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regularly coordinate water releases from Bagnell Dam and the Corps' Truman Dam near Warsaw.

"Every day we talk to the Corps at least once a day and, during floods, we talk with the Corps several times a day," he explained. "We even have computer hook-ups so we can see what they're doing and they can see what we're doing."

The Corps closed its Truman Dam gates and is keeping extra water in Truman Lake until the Lake of the Ozarks water levels can be reduced, Witt said.

The Ameren news release said officials expect the Bagnell Dam floodgates "will remain open for another couple weeks to release floodwater built up in neighboring Truman Lake as well as the Lake of the Ozarks."

All water releases ultimately are controlled by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Witt said.

Posted earlier, at 3:40 p.m. Thursday:

Due to Lake of the Ozarks being above its full-pool level, the Missouri Highway Patrol is imposing a temporary no-wake safety restriction on the entire lake - effective today.

Emergency responders will have the only exemption to this restriction, Capt. Michael A. Turner, the Troop F commanding officer, said in a news release.

Today the Lake was at 662.5 feet, while "full stage" is 660 feet and normal stage is at 658 feet.

"With the lake level on Lake of the Ozarks unusually high, boaters need to be on the lookout for potential hazards in the water," Turner said.

The speed restriction will remain in place until the lake level recedes below 661 feet.

Officials said the restriction is due to a concern for the safety of those who live at and visit Lake of the Ozarks.

Turner also said the restriction is an effort to reduce or prevent damage to docks, hoists, ramps, sea walls and other personal property.

It is also suggested that dock owners disconnect/turn off electricity to their docks during this time of high water, Turner said.