Triangle docks under water as lake levels keep rising
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Days of rain have brought water levels at many Triangle area lakes so high that docks and boat ramps are unusable.
More rain on the way could make the problem worse.
"Right now, we're just under 8 feet high here at Falls Lake. Don't know what the rain's gonna bring us but if we get the inches that they're calling for, the lake is gonna rise even more than it is now," said Dana Matics with the Army Corps of Engineers.
The Corps releases water from the lakes when necessary. That's why people who live downstream are advised to monitor news and weather updates.
"Clayton, Goldsboro, on downstream. At Jordan Lake, Fayetteville, all of the Cape Fear, those are the river gauges our hydrologists take into account when deciding when our water releases are going to be," said Matics.
At Jordan Lake, public boat ramps are closed along with the Robeson Creek canoe access.
Pictures taken at the Ebenezer Church Boat Ramp on Beaver Creek Road showed the water covering the ramps and even cutting off the end of the docks from land.
Gates were closed and signs were up telling people there was no access.
Walkers at New Hope Overlook reported the water was so high that parts of the hiking trail normally well away from the water's edge were covered and they were going around.
"Those who may want to come to the lake are aware of the high water. Those who live downstream need to be aware that if it's raining and even if it's not raining down their way too much, they have a whole river basin right above them that may be releasing water. So river levels may be higher than normal," said Matics.
