Staying Safe Over The Holiday Weekend

There is information you need to know before the Memorial Day weekend. News On 6 anchor Craig Day reports it's everything from the forecast, to lake levels, to new boating laws. Come Memorial Day

Wednesday, May 23rd 2007, 8:32 pm

By: News On 6

There is information you need to know before the Memorial Day weekend. News On 6 anchor Craig Day reports it's everything from the forecast, to lake levels, to new boating laws. Come Memorial Day weekend, you'll always find Bill Seabolt camped out. It's something he looks forward to. This year Seabolt is spending the week at Oologah Lake, but one thing is missing.

"We didn't bring our boat because the water is up so high and there's a lot of debris in the water," said Seabolt.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers urges boaters to be cautious over the holiday weekend. They say there will be plenty of debris in the water at area lakes that are above normal.

"When it comes up like that, you have underwater logs that will libel to hit your prop or throw you out of the boat," Seabolt said.

Oologah Lake is nearly nine feet above normal. All of that debris in the lakes is caused by drought like conditions over the last couple of years. That dry weather weakened or killed many trees. Then we get heavy rainstorms and it washed a lot of that debris downstream and puts it in area lakes.

The Corps says there are also new hazards for boaters including rocks and stumps that previously you could see, but are now hidden under water.

As for Bill Seabolt, he didn't want to take any chances.

"We'll just camp out and party with the kids,â€ Seabolt said. â€œUse the boat next time or later on this summer."

To find out the latest lake levels for many of Oklahoma's lakes, click here.

Click here for the most current Oklahoma lake report.

Watch the video: Officials Urging Boaters To Be Cautious Over Holiday Weekend