Polk County residents eager to celebrate the Fourth of July at Saylorville Lake will see portions of the recreational site and reservoir closed due to higher lake levels.
Certain areas at the lake will be closed for public safety due to recent rainfall in northern Iowa and the Des Moines River watershed, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District announced in a news release on Tuesday.
Heavy rains in northwest Iowa have caused record flooding during the weekend and the evacuation of thousands of residents.
“Closures will remain in effect until lake levels recede, and the areas can be cleaned and safely reopened,” according to the news release.
When closed areas can be reopened is hard to determine, said Dayne Magneson, lake manager, in a phone call to the Des Moines Register on June 25.
Current forecasts through July 8 — the furthest date forecasted — show lake levels still 38 feet above what’s normal for Saylorville. That doesn’t account for any additional rain in this time period that might add to the amount of water reaching Saylorville.
Dropping the lake level is a slow process from its peak, Magneson said.
What is the Saylorville Lake level as of June 25?
The normal conservation pool at Saylorville is 836 feet above sea level, Magneson said.
As of the afternoon of June 25, the lake was at 844.27 feet, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ river gauge data.
That number is climbing and will be at 845 feet soon, Magneson said during the phone call.
The reservoir is currently pushing out 13,500 cubic feet of water per second. One cubic foot is about 7.5 gallons.
“Right now, we’re just trying to evacuate the water as it’s coming in,” Magneson said. “As the pool builds, we’ll increase the outflows as that pressure pushes it out. But then we get to that point of 16,000 cubic feet per second where we want (to) keep it at so we mitigate downstream flooding."
"So that’s our primary mission right now is controlling the flood waters (that) are coming in," he continued. "Today we had 30,000 cubic feet per second coming in and only putting out 13,500 so you can see how fast the pool can rise with that amount of water coming in.”
What is the forecast for Saylorville Lake’s water level during the July 4th weekend?
The level at the lake is forecasted as of June 25 to rise to 874 feet above sea level sometime by July 5 and 6, Magenson said.
The record high pool elevation at the lake was in 1993 at 892.03 feet, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ river gauge data.
What is closed at Saylorville Lake?
The closed areas at Saylorville Lake, according to the news release, include:
- Cherry Glen Lower Boat Ramp
- The lower parking lot at Lakeview High Water Boat Ramp
- Oak Grove Beach Access
- Sandpiper Boat Ramp
- NW Jester Park Drive
- Lakeview Main Boat Ramp
- The Neal Smith Trail from Prairie Flower Campground to Saylorville Lake Marina
Why boaters should be worried about flooding debris at Saylorville Lake?
The record river levels in northern Iowa flood the low-lying land near it, picking up tree debris and flushing it out, Magneson said.
Unfortunately, Saylorville acts as a bit of a catch basin for this debris, Magneson said. So, all that debris settles at Saylorville and can pose a threat to boaters.
The debris may not be visible and "could pose risks beneath the water’s surface," according to the news release.
“Additionally, all boaters are strongly advised to wear life jackets at all times, reduce speed, refrain from boating after dark, and comply with all buoy markings for safe navigation,” according to the news release.
Check the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, Saylorville Lake on Facebook or Saylorville Lake’s website through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stay up to date on area closures and other information about the lake.
Paris Barraza is a trending and general assignment reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at pbarraza@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.
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