The last stretch of the Osage River closed due to high water from the Missouri River to Lock and Dam No. 1 - has been reopened, the Missouri Highway Patrol announced Tuesday.
This means the Osage River has now reopened for recreational boating for the entire length that was once closed - from the Missouri River to Bagnell Dam.
Officials with the patrol's water patrol division determined the water level had dropped sufficiently to allow safe recreational traffic. While the river is completely open again, boaters should avoid creating wakes in areas still experiencing high water conditions and boaters should also be alert for floating debris, authorities noted.
Due to deteriorating safety conditions as a result of flooding, Missouri Department of Public Safety Director Sandy Karsten authorized the closure of the Osage River from the Missouri River to Bagnell Dam for recreational boating June 4
The Osage River reopened from the Route B Bridge in St. Thomas to Bagnell Dam on June 10 and from Lock and Dam No. 1 to St. Thomas on June 21.
The National Weather Service forecast the Osage River at the Mari-Osa Delta Campground at 22.3 feet Tuesday - 3 feet above flood stage of 19 feet. The NWS predicts the river will fall to around 21 feet by this weekend.