Low levels on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' five reservoir lakes in Arkansas have prompted the Corps to issue advisories, warning boaters to watch for stumps, rocks, points and debris that are normally submerged at this time of year.
Beaver, Bull Shoals, Greers Ferry, Norfork and Table Rock lakes are between 5 and 10 feet below normal levels, Corps spokesman Laurie Driver said.
A lack of rainfall and increased demands for hydroelectricity generated at the lakes have created the shallower conditions.
"This is normally the rainy season," Driver said. "This fall and winter has been drier than average."
Driver said the low lake levels aren't that rare; the five lakes have seen levels this low at least eight times in the past 20 years. However, because of flooding in recent years, people may be used to levels being higher and forget to pay attention in shallow areas of lakes, Driver said.
"It's not really the boating season now, and that's a good thing," she said. "Most of the people out on lakes are fishermen. They need to use more caution out there."
There is a slight chance of rain today and Monday for central Arkansas, forecasters at the National Weather Service in North Little Rock say. But Northwest Arkansas is less likely to get rainfall, and drought conditions remain there.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 50.1 percent of Arkansas is in some form of drought. The monitor, based at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, releases weekly drought reports for the country based on rainfall, soil moisture, forecasts and other meteorological data.
The driest area in Arkansas is in Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian counties in west Arkansas, along with a fraction of neighboring Logan County. That area is considered to be in "extreme drought," meaning the area is short 4 to 5 inches of average rainfall over a 30-day period.
The Corps' reservoir lakes are in the northwest third of the state, which also is in some form of drought.
An 11-county swath of the Arkansas Delta is also classified as being "abnormally dry," meaning the area's rainfall is 1 to 2 inches below average over a 30-day period.
"Bull Shoals Lake hasn't seen a rainfall of an inch or more since October," Driver said.
The lower levels haven't hurt marinas yet, owners said Friday.
"Launches are OK, but the points are getting shallow," said Ashley Mears, an employee of the Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock. "We're about 8 feet below normal. Using common sense now is important when out there."
Dan Weber, manager of Jordan Marina on Lake Norfork, said water at his docks is about 5 feet below normal. He said it hasn't hindered launches, and he's pleased with the low-water conditions.
"We've had a lot of flooding in the past few years," he said. "There's room for springtime rains, so we won't flood out.
"People are used to the water levels being higher because of the floods. Now, the lake is at 548 feet. If we get below 538, that's when it starts to get scary."
Dorothy Atkinson, an employee at Anglers White River Resort near Mountain View, said she could see the bottom of the White River in some places because of the low water.
"You just have to be careful when you're going out on the river," she said.
The White River at Batesville is forecast to drop to 6.8 feet on Wednesday. It will be the lowest mark set for February since the Weather Service began keeping hydrological records. The lowest reading ever recorded there was 5.4 feet on July 12, 2012.
In Newport, the White River is expected to dip to 3.5 feet on Wednesday. It's not in the top 2o lowest readings, but it is early for such low water, said Matthew Davis, a Jackson County Cooperative Extension Service agent.
"Farmers aren't really worried at this moment," Davis said. "We're almost in the prime time for pre-planting, so this helps. The lack of water doesn't necessarily affect us now, but later on in the year, if we don't get spring rains, it will definitely cause some worry."
The Corps will monitor its lake levels and generate electricity accordingly, Driver said.
Officials are asking boaters to stay in main river channels and give shorelines wide berths. Boaters are encouraged to stay on the side of a lake with bluffs since water there is generally deeper.
"Our lakes are in good shape," Driver said. "They are operating as designed. We could use some rain, though."
State Desk on 02/05/2017