DAVID MAMARIL HOROWITZ

david.horowitz@bgdailynews.com

 

This year’s historic spring stormwaters, which brought the Barren River Lake pool to a record-setting height in April, has resulted in closures or partial closures of campgrounds and recreational area in the region.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in April recorded the highest elevation of its summer pool at the lake, the recreational pool it holds throughout the summer.

This year, it reached as high as 586 feet, said Alan Ramey, lake manager at Barren River Lake. That’s 36 feet above the operational pool level of 552 feet typical for summer, he said. As of Friday morning, it was 574.29 feet.

As a result, the Port Oliver recreational area, a day-use area with a boat ramp by the dam, with a mountain bike trail, picnic shelter and boat tournaments, has been closed through the entire recreation season, Ramey said. It’s typically a big driver of visitation at the Barren river Lake area.

Several class-A campgrounds held by the lake have also have experienced at least partial closures and are partially open, the most notable being Bailey’s and the Narrows, he said.

The Barren River Lake State Resort Park summer pool was also inaccessible due to areas being underwater as of Thursday.

Still, the dam is operating as designed, holding water back until downwater river levels recede to reduce flooding impacts downstream, Ramey said.

The Tailwater campground, which offers 48 sites along the Barren River, is open, as it’s below the dam and unaffected by pool levels, he said.

The Corps of Engineers usually begins releasing water mid-September to try decreasing water from 552 to 528 feet by Dec. 1 to make room for the wetter season through early spring, he said.

Water release has been lowering the elevation by about 5 inches daily, Ramey said Wednesday. But it’s also unpredictable due to the possibility of rainfall.

The goal, he added, is to have all the day-use areas and campgrounds fully open by the July 4 weekend.