Boaters Urged to Use Caution on North Texas Lakes

Boaters heading out on North Texas lakes need to be careful, with very little rain to keep them filled lake levels are lower than they've been in years.

Lake Grapevine is more than 10 feet below normal.

"When I first moved here about nine years ago it was this low," said Bryce Bailey, of Grapevine. "You have to watch out for stumps, especially if you get up there on the other end up there, there's a lot of trees that you've never seen before that are out there now."

"Anytime the lakes fluctuate, there may not have been a hazard, you know two weeks ago, but if we come up or come down, it exposes new hazards that are now just below the water surface," said Natural Resources Specialist Kenneth Myers, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

"Boaters need to know first thing is to take their life jackets and wear them," said Myers. "Because that's the one thing, accidents happen all the time and if something happens unexpectedly, that life jacket is going to be what actually helps them out."

The lake level is so low, only two of the lake's eight boat ramps remain open Friday.

"Boating traffic this year is, you know, going to be pretty restricted to marinas that already have the boats in the water," Myers said. "There's not going to be a lot of access for people especially if it keeps coming down."

Myers said the remaining two ramps could close if the lake level drops another foot or so.

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