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No-wake zone means no skiing at Lake of the Ozarks

Marshall Griffin, St. Louis Public Radio

There'll be no waterskiing at the Lake of the Ozarks, at least maybe not till Saturday at the earliest.

The high-water level due to heavy rainfall has led Gov. Jay Nixon to declare the entire lake a "no-wake zone," meaning that boaters can travel no faster than basic idle speed.

"When the lake is this full, the risk of property damage and even personal injury, as a result of large wakes from boats, becomes even greater," Nixon told reporters Thursday. "Those can particularly impact coves and smaller branches off the main channel, resulting in damage to docks, boats, and shorelines."

Emergency response vessels are the only ones exempted from the no-wake restrictions.

Credit Marshall Griffin, St. Louis Public Radio

The normal water level at the Lake of the Ozarks is 658 feet, and it's considered full at 660 feet. As of Thursday morning, it was at 662.5 feet, and is forecast to crest at 663 feet.

The no-wake order will be lifted once the lake level drops to 661 feet, which Nixon says he hopes will happen by Saturday, which is also the Fourth of July.

"But make no mistake, if we don't get down to that level, we won't (lift the no-wake order)," Nixon said. "We're not making a tourism decision here, we're making a public safety decision … we're not gonna take the risk of those docks being overtopped and (having) electricity in the Lake."

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is also requesting that dock owners shut off electricity to their docks for the duration.

Floodgates at Bagnell Dam were opened Wednesday and will remain open indefinitely. The discharge rate as of 11 a.m. Thursday was listed at more than 80,000 cubic feet per second.

Follow Marshall Griffin on Twitter:  @MarshallGReport

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.
Marshall Griffin
St. Louis Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a native of Mississippi and proud alumnus of Ole Miss (welcome to the SEC, Mizzou!). He has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off an old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Liberty Belle, and their cat, Honey.