The unofficial start to summer is Memorial Day weekend and with good weather in the forecast, Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake are expected to be popular destinations.
Kayl Kite is the Lake Barkley manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who operates and maintains dozens of waterways and facilities in Kentucky and Tennessee. He encourages those getting out on the water this weekend to take a quick inventory of their boat. He says every boat must have a type 4 throwable ring or cushion, fire extinguisher, and either a boat horn or hand-held horn.
He also says life jackets are a must.
click to download audioKite also says to be mindful of how many people are in your boat and where they sit.
click to download audioAll marinas should have signage warning boaters of wake limits as they leave the main water and enter the shallow and busy water of marinas and docks. Kite says to be mindful when entering these areas.
click to download audioKite also issued a safety reminder to people who use personal watercraft on the lakes and to use caution when operating near larger boats.
click to download audioKite said drowning is the third-leading cause of unintended deaths involving adults with 89-percent of all deaths on Corps of Engineers waterways involving people who weren’t wearing a life jacket.
Kite added the lake levels for this weekend are about six inches above the summer pool at 359-and-a-half feet.
