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More Access Updates

I have other things I could blog about, but these updates keep coming and if you fish these waters, you will want to know about them.  So, I am going to “spread the word” some more:

Boating access limited on some Nebraska reservoirs

Drought conditions have limited public boating access on some reservoirs across Nebraska, but the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is working to improve boating access where possible.

Conditions at many boat ramps, piers and access points are not expected to improve as long as precipitation lags far behind normal levels. For much of the state, water levels have not been this low since the drought of 2012.

While some boat ramps have been closed, and others have restrictions, for locations where access is still possible, Game and Parks asks boaters to use their best judgment when launching watercraft and to be on the alert for unanticipated hazards when out on the water.

Despite the adverse conditions, Game and Parks is working to provide boating access where it can:

-A rock ramp was extended at Lake Minatare State Recreation Area before Labor Day, and a concrete ramp at Merritt Reservoir SRA has been extended several times.

-Repairs are being made to a ramp at Sherman Reservoir the week of Sept. 19.

-Extensive boating access improvements have begun at Enders Reservoir SRA and are expected to last through the fall.

-As the result of a Nebraska Public Power District maintenance project at Sutherland Reservoir in November, Game and Parks will repair a ramp that is eroded at the water.

-Boating improvements are planned at Red Willow and Swanson reservoirs this fall and winter to provide safer access during low-water periods.

Questions about these projects can be directed to ngpc.boatingaccess@nebraska.gov.

Game and Parks appreciates the public’s patience.

Red Willow aerial 001

I also just caught wind of this:

(HOLDREGE, Neb.) — The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District will lower the water level this fall at Jeffrey Lake in preparation for canal structure maintenance downstream.

The drawdown at Jeffrey Lake is scheduled to begin on Sept. 29 to an elevation about nine feet below normal operation levels. The reservoir south of Brady, Neb., should return to normal elevations around Oct. 8.

While the lake is down, cabin-owners who may wish to perform shoreline maintenance are reminded to contact Central to obtain any necessary permits prior to initiating such projects.

All drawdown plans are subject to change depending on river flows and rain events.

EF20171017_0785
Eric Fowler photo, Nebraskaland Magazine.

About daryl bauer

Daryl is a lifelong resident of Nebraska (except for a couple of years spent going to graduate school in South Dakota). He has been employed as a fisheries biologist for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for 25 years, and his current tour of duty is as the fisheries outreach program manager. Daryl loves to share his educational knowledge and is an avid multi-species angler. He holds more than 120 Nebraska Master Angler Awards for 14 different species and holds more than 30 In-Fisherman Master Angler Awards for eight different species. He loves to talk fishing and answer questions about fishing in Nebraska, be sure to check out his blog at outdoornebraska.org.

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