Huntington District

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will celebrate the completion of the installation of three river gauges on Duck Creek in Washington and Noble Counties in Ohio with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 2 p.m. on Nov. 29, 2011, at the Community Building in the Village of Lower Salem, Ohio.

The gauges serve as a Flood Warning System for residents and businesses along Duck Creek. In conjunction with National Weather Service information, the gauges will provide real-time information to local emergency management officials.

The project was sponsored by Washington and Noble Counties, and the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District is the primary funding partner. U.S. Geological Survey and the Ohio Emergency Management Agency are also key stakeholders in the effort.

The cost for the design and implementation was $200,000. In 1998, flooding along Duck Creek in those two counties caused five deaths and damages estimated at $20 million.

The flood warning system is authorized under Section 205 of the Flood Control Act 1948 (P.L. 80-858).

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will close all boat ramps at John W. Flannagan Dam and Reservoir Nov. 10, 2011, including the launch ramp at the marina. The lake is being lowered to allow for maintenance work, which will make all ramps inaccessible.

Once every 10 years the lake is drawn down an extra 30 feet below Winter Pool to allow Corps employees to access and inspect features of the dam.

Depending on weather conditions, the marina launch ramp is expected to be inaccessible through February 1, 2011. A notice will be sent out when the ramp reopens.

For more information call the John W. Flannagan Dam and Reservoir project office at 276-835-9544.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will waive day-use fees for veterans, active and reserve component service members, and their families at the more than 2,400 Corps-operated recreation areas nationwide on Veterans Day, November 11.

In the Huntington District, the waiver applies at Corps managed boat ramps at Beech Fork, East Lynn, Burnsville, Sutton, R.D. Bailey, Grayson and Fishtrap Lakes.

“This Veterans Day we will honor our veterans, active and reserve service members, and their families with an invitation to visit one of the thousands of Corps recreation sites nationwide, free of charge. As an active participant of the administration’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative, we hope that you will join us,” said Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works.

The day-use fee waiver requires only verbal confirmation of service. This waiver covers boat launch ramp fees. The waiver does not apply to camping and camping-related services, or fees for specialized facilities such as group picnic shelters. Other agencies that manage recreation areas on Corps lands are encouraged, but not required, to offer the Veterans Day waiver of fees in the areas that they manage.

“We began this initiative in 2006 to support and honor the men and women who have served our nation and the armed forces, and to encourage them and their families to visit and enjoy one of our many recreation sites,” said Mike Ensch, Chief of Operations for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

With more than 370 million visits annually to 422 lake and river projects, the Corps is the largest federal provider of outdoor and water-based recreation in the nation. The more than 2,400 Corps-operated recreation areas nationwide provide a diverse range of outdoor activities to people of all ages. To discover the Corps recreation site nearest you, please visit http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/visitors.cfm.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has temporarily closed the winter boat ramps at Summersville Lake because the lake has been drawn down to a level that’s lower than the usual winter pool.

The lake has been lowered to allow for maintenance work. Once every 10 years the lake is drawn down an extra 55 feet below Winter Pool to allow Corps employees to access and inspect features of the dam.

As a result of this additional draw down to the lake, there will be no boat launching available until after the inspection work is complete and the lake is raised back its normal winter elevation.

In past inspections, intermittent boating access was allowed off the access road to the inspection site. However, a number of factors are impacting this year’s operations, including excessive siltation and the inspection site access road being too narrow to permit two-way traffic. Also, the temporary boat launching and turn-around site that would be used for this area does not meet current safety design standards for public use. All of these factors combine to bring about major safety concerns for visitors that do not permit the Corps to allow boat launching off the inspection site access road.

This temporary closure is expected to last up to a month and may also impact boat access for hunters during the deer gun season. Shoreline fishing is still available, although most areas are inaccessible due to muddy conditions left from the receding lake waters.

After the inspections are complete, and as rainfall permits, the lake will be raised back to its normal winter level. A notice will be sent out when the winter boat ramps are opened.

For more information contact the Public Affairs office at 304-399-5353.