Lake Level Rising Quickly

Lake Sakakawea today is higher than it s been in 4 and a half years In three months Lake Sakakawea has risen 12 feet and Game and Fish says they expect it to go up even more The big lake is at 1819 the highest it s been since December 2003 Now the level is rising so quickly that some boat ramps have been swamped The rising level is the good news And the better news is that there are existing boat ramps to take over for the washed-out ramps Debbie Kuehn reports on what s happening at Parshall Bay Debbie Kuehn KX News If these folks would have tried to launch their boat here last year they d have likely buried it in sand Harley Rath Brendel s Bay This ramp has been about six-seven years since we ve used it Debbie Kuehn KX News Over the years the people who live and work around Lake Sakakawea have grown somewhat used to finding new ways to gain access to the water the difference this year is that the water isn t disappearing it s actually rising Harley Rath Brendel s Bay Lotta rainfall water s coming up We re up ten to twelve feet from where we were this spring Debbie Kuehn KX News Yes in a place where sandy dunes once swept over weeds and rocks fish hooks now bob in crystal waters It s a change that s rendered four ramps on Lake Sakakawea unusuable not because of a lack of water but because they ve been submersed in it Linda Phelps Corps of Engineers There are other ramps in the area that are usable at this time and we actually completed a new ramp last week at one marina so this week we should have 27 usable ramps Debbie Kuehn KX News The rising levels have been accompanied by a rising number of smiles on many faces around here By simply adding water fishing improves and when fishing is good the number of boats on the lake multiplies and businesses sell more gas bait food and other supplies Harley Rath Brendel s Bay It increases all the business in the area From the Parshall to us out here it is such a positive attitude and things are going good Linda Phelps Corps of Engineers It makes people happy it makes me happy Debbie Kuehn KX News And if forecasters are right there could be more water on the way Harley Rath Brendel s Bay All reports are there is still 70 snowpack in the mountains Rumor has it we re looking at 20 feet this year Debbie Kuehn KX News Because you can always find higher ground but you can t catch fish in a sand dune Debbie Kuehn KX News As of today the Corps of Engineers says Lake Sakakawea s level is 1819 6 feet