Boating season cut short at Lucky Peak as ramp repairs begin

Water levels will be dropping at Lucky Peak to allow for maintenance on boating facilities, but the repairs will require boating season to be cut short for the summer.

The water level drop will allow for repairs to be made to the Turner Gulch boat ramp. Those repairs are scheduled to begin on September 1, after the water level drops 125 feet from current measures.

The project aims to increase the safety of the 70-year-old ramp and install erosion controls, but the needed improvements will require boating season to be cut short.

Christopher Silbernagel is the operations project manager for the US Army Corps of Engineers.

He says water currents affect the gravel and sand beneath the concrete causing it to cut or be uneven

Silbernagel says, “What happens is it gets underneath the ramp and washes out the gravel that's underneath the concrete and what that creates is a void that could potentially crush in as you're divining a heavy vessel or any heavy equipment.”

Ahead of construction the water level at Lucky Peak will begin dropping on Monday, July 22, with most of Spring Shores Marina expected to close in early August and all boating from the unit ending on August 29.

Dates to remember for the project at Lucky Peak are:

• July 22 - Lake drawdown begins.
• August 1 - Boats in shallow slips recommended to be removed from the marina, water levels down 15 feet.
• August 3 - Minimal level for the marina, all boats should be pulled. Water levels down 20 feet.
• August 5 - Fuel dock closure, water levels down 26 feet.
• August 8 - East Boat Ramp closure, water levels down 36 feet.
• August 29 - West Boat Ramp closure, water levels down 110 feet.
• November 1 - Lake refill begins.

“The drawdown will be quick, but those wanting to get the most boating in before the ramps close will have most of August,” said Surat Nicol, manager of Lucky Peak State Park. “Please check our website and look for signs at the ramps for the latest information in case the schedule changes.”