Officials from the state and Army Corps of Engineers ask people not to boat at Saylorville Lake during the Fourth of July holiday week as water levels are expected to rise more than 880 feet above sea level.
Certain areas at the lake already are closed due to flooding from recent rainfall in northern Iowa and in the Des Moines River watershed. Officials say debris from upstream where major flooding has occurred can pose an exceptional danger for people on the lake this week.
In addition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it would close North Overlook and Whitebreast beaches at Red Rock Lake due to rising water levels on Wednesday. The closures will remain in place until the area is safe for use.
As of 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Saylorville was sitting at 869 feet. The Army Corps expects it to reach 882 feet by Tuesday evening, 2 feet below flood stage and about 46 feet above normal water levels.
That forecasts accounts for rain just over the next 24 hours.
Polk County Emergency Management program assistant Brett McIntyre says Saylorville Lake, which typically acts as a buffer for major rains, still has room to absorb several feet of water expected over the next few days based on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ forecast. At 882 feet, the Army Corps still has about 2 feet before water spills over the emergency spillway — the point at which the water level surpasses the ability of the dam to control the safe release of floodwater into the Des Moines River — and there’s an inflatable dam that can be raised another 6 feet.