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Lake Rathbun is on the decrease. That is the word from the US Army Corps of Engineers.
APPANOOSE COUNTY, IOWA --
The lake is currently at 926.67 feet above sea level, and has fallen slightly from last night. The Corps is releasing 3000 cubic feet per second from the lake’s outlet. That is twice the typical outflow that the Corps releases.
Besides the water, the Corps is also carefully watching Asian carp. This type of fish is known to be in the Chariton River and is an invasive fish. If the carp were to get into the lake the Corps would have to take measures to get them out.
But the main concern is still the water level. John Pasa said today that the Corps is constantly monitoring the weather, the lake, and the Chariton River.
“We’re being proactive. We have 24-hour surveillance on our dam structure. We’re watching the weather just like everyone else is because it’s a great concern to us. Public safety is our top priority. We watch our dam very closely and we monitor what the river is doing downstream.”
Rift raft is also being added to the outlet so that the Corps would potentially be able to release more water from the lake.
Rathbun Lake was almost desolate Sunday due to the high water. Fact finder wanted to know what people could do to still enjoy the lake.
We found many people were golfing at the Honey Creek Preserve or were taking pictures of the high water. Most businesses around the lake seemed to only have a few customers trickle in.
John Pasa said that those who had their boats in the water before the water rose are able to get out on the lake, but anyone who wants to launch a boat will have to wait until the water recedes.
“Currently all of our boat ramps are closed because of access issues and some safety issue. So there is no access by boat ramps although boats that are already on the lake at the marina and the honey creek resort park can still have some boats on the lake but were not allowing any traffic on the boat ramps,” said Natural Resource Specialist John Pasa.
Pasa also said that people need to heed the warning barriers that are set up next to the dam and around the lake. He said that if an area is blocked off then it is not safe for people to be in that area.
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