Water still overflowing at the Iowa Great Lakes

OKOBOJI, Iowa (KCAU) — Water levels at the Iowa Great Lakes remain near record levels.

Water is spilling over the sides of the Spirit Lake Spillway. People KCAU 9 spoke with said the water had come up considerably from just 24 hours ago.

The Fourth of July will be especially different for boaters. On Friday, it was hard to find a vessel on the water, and for those venturing out, the DNR is advising caution.

“Just remember that there’s a lot of debris floating in this water, so at five miles an hour it shouldn’t be a problem,” Iowa DNR Law Enforcement Bureau Captain Greg Harson said. “But there are full docks and planks and things like that floating across our waters. So be cognizant of that so that you don’t run into something and wreck a boat or a prop out on the water.

Harson said that so far, few citations have been issued for the lake’s 5 mph speed limit. It’s hard to determine how long it will take for the lakes to return to normal levels.

“Well, it’s just a lot of water to go downstream, it’s just going to take a long time to get out of here,” he said. “So people are just going to have to be patient and let nature take its course and getting it out of here.”

On water, holiday activities will be impacted, but community leaders are emphasizing that Arnolds Park remains open for the Fourth, with some dock restrictions. Also, the Queen is now touring for the foreseeable future.

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