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State Urges Caution When Boating
River and lake levels are continuing to drop across the state due to a lack of rain. That's leading to some caution from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources: boat at your own risk.

The DNR says the consistently declining water levels have made parts of some rivers and lakes nearly impassable, and can affect launching your boat into the water.

DNR Spokesperson Chris McCloud says launching your boat can then be made dangerous.

"Conditions are changing rapidly and there's no real way to constantly monitor every area of every river or lake," he said. "Which means it's really up to the individual boaters to use their best judgement as to whether it's worth the risk."

McCloud says the state could limit access to some boating areas if necessary.


"We are not, at this point, going to close any public boat ramps on our property," McCloud said. "But it is going to be a 'boat at your own risk.'"

McCloud suggests calling ahead to your preferred state DNR facility to check on the condition of boat ramps.

He says there doesn't seem to be any real sign of relief from the drought for the next month or so, though there are some chances of rain in the forecast for this week.
07 24 12 by Newsroom
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