Skiatook Lake Levels Low Despite Rainfall

Skiatook Lake is seven feet below normal which is concerning to many as more people get out to enjoy the lake.

Did the weekend storms do any good to raise the level at the popular Green Country lake? 

Donnie England has his boat out for the first time this season.

"Hoping it runs good," England said.

He comes to Skiatook Lake often but was still surprised to see it so low.

"I knew it was going to be pretty low, but I didn't anticipate this," said the Sperry resident.

Many, like England, had hoped weekend storms would be enough to raise the water level significantly. 

"I was disappointed; I thought it would be a little higher," said Skiatook resident Randy Rhodes.

The rain helped, but not much, raising the water level one foot, but it's still seven feet below normal. 

"It's pretty low," said boater Donnie England.

"It's a lot better when it's full," said Randy Rhodes.

For it to fill up, rain needs to fall in areas just northwest of the lake.

Some areas in the lake's water watershed got one to two inches of rain, but just missed out on heavier amounts, which fell outside the lake's watershed. It's disappointing for folks who had hoped for a bigger impact.

Skiatook is beautiful, but the past couple of seasons have been ugly. In last years' brutally hot and dry summer,

"Last year was just awful," said Skiatook resident Randy Rhodes.

Low lake levels closed swim beaches and kept many visitors away. Tall Chief's swim beach is still closed.

When the water is down, business slows down. 

"Not as many people coming out and spending money in the local bait shops and what have you," said Sperry resident Donnie England.

The Army Corps of Engineers says more runoff from weekend storms could raise the water level another half foot. But they say, what's really needed is just more rain, in the right place.