Alex Slitz/Daily NewsJosh Cummings, of Scottsville, prepares his boat for the water Monday on the ramp at the marina.

Better late than never.

With just a week of summer vacation left before school opens, sun worshippers can now hit some of the beaches and campgrounds at Barren River Lake, which is back to normal operation after months of closure due to high water from unusually heavy spring rains.

All Barren River Lake facilities are now open, except Barren River Lake State Resort Park Beach, which remains closed until further notice, and the boat ramp at Port Oliver, which remains closed due to ongoing construction, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Monday.

After rain inundated the state May 1 and 2, summer activities were curtailed at beaches and campsites at both corps and state parks facilities when Barren River crested May 8 at 578.11 feet.

As of Monday, lake levels had dropped to 552.6 feet, six inches above the normal summer pool elevation, said Alicia Cannon, corps spokesperson and park ranger.

Even though the main beach is closed, swimming is permitted at Quarry Road Recreation Area or Beaver Creek Recreation area. Tailwater Recreation Area and Bailey’s Point Picnic Area also have places to picnic with shade, shelters and playground equipment.

Conditions have been relatively dry since the May rains, but the water level was slow to recede because of runoff and increased lake surface area after the flooding, she said. The higher the lake is, the more surface it covers, so the longer it takes to fall, Cannon explained.

“Finally we are back down to levels that are closer to normal,” she added.

That was good news for lake-goers and business operators in the area, including Wayne Shelton, one of the owners and managers of Barren River State Park Marina.

The marina remained open all summer but business has been off significantly because of closed boat ramps and high water, Shelton said.

“Some customers put their boats in early and they were not able to do that this year,” he said. “When the ramps and beaches are closed, it hurts business here all over the lake. With the high water, the beaches and the ramps being closed it has put us back about $50,000 this year.”

There are 940 square miles of drainage area above the dam at Barren River Lake. Even though summer is almost over, facilities are open sooner than was expected.

Park authorities, however, are still working to clean up Barren River Lake State Park beach and repair equipment damaged by the high water, said Lisa Deavers, parks program services supervisor.

The beach is expected to open this summer, but there is no date yet as to when that might happen, Deavers said.

“People can go to our website for updates on the beach,” she said. The site can be found at www.parks.ky.gov.

While park visitors have not been able to enjoy the state beach, more people have taken advantage of daily recreational programs, according to Deavers.

“Our program numbers have actually been up,” she said, “and that may be due to people not being able to get in the water.”