North Dakota
Behind the Badge – Boating in Low Water Years (Lake Sakakawea)
Boating in Low Water Years (Lake Sakakawea)
District Game Warden Kylor Johnston
If you’ve spent any time around Lake Sakakawea over the years, you know the lake is always changing. Some summers the water creeps up towards parking lots making a nice short walk from the ramp to your truck. Other years, boat ramps stretch farther down than anyone remembers.
This year is shaping up to be one of the lowest water years we have seen since 2008. The goal of this article is not to scare boaters, but hopefully to encourage boaters to use caution to avoid some preventable boating incidents.
Low water isn’t necessarily dangerous, but it does create conditions that can catch boaters off guard, especially people unfamiliar with a particular ramp or section of the lake. Lake mapping is not perfect on any lake and is especially true for Sakakawea.
One issue that may show up this year is where you safely drove your boats last year does not mean it will be safe this year. Hazards typically hidden well below the surface can become a problem quickly when lake levels drop. Rock piles, sandbars, submerged trees and old structures may sit much closer to the surface than expected. Lake points that were underwater last year now are extending farther into the bays.
Low water can also create congestion at usable ramps. Some ramps become difficult to use, funneling more traffic into fewer locations. That usually means longer waits, crowded docks and more opportunities for accidents when people get impatient.
A little patience at the ramp goes a long way.
Lake Sakakawea will still provide plenty of great fishing and boating opportunities this summer. Boaters simply need to slow down a little, pay attention to changing conditions and remember that the lake may not look the same as it did a year ago.