U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Ranger David Landis (right) throws a buoy anchor into the water while Ranger Intern Philicady Garland prepares to throw the buoy behind it on Lake Barkley in Kuttawa, Kentucky, Aug. 14, 2024. In preparation for the busy Labor Day weekend and lower water levels as the lake approaches hibernation, rangers are placing warning buoys in shallow waters to warn boaters to avoid those areas. (USACE photo by Michael Davis)
ORIGINAL ADVERTISEMENTS
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rangers Danielle Packer, left, and David Landis, right, discuss the location of the next buoy after placing a warning buoy on Lake Barkley in Kuttawa, Kentucky, Aug. 14, 2024. In preparation for the busy Labor Day weekend and lower water levels as the lake approaches winter rise, rangers are placing warning buoys in shallow waters to warn boaters to avoid those areas. (USACE photo by Michael Davis)
ORIGINAL ADVERTISEMENTS
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Ranger David Landis (right) hands Ranger Intern Philicady Garland a piece of hardware needed to attach an anchor line to a buoy before placing it in Lake Barkley in Kuttawa, Kentucky, Aug. 14, 2024. In preparation for the busy Labor Day weekend and lower water levels as the lake approaches winter rise, rangers are placing warning buoys in shallow waters to warn boaters to avoid those areas. (USACE photo by Michael Davis)
ORIGINAL ADVERTISEMENTS
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rangers Danielle Packer (left) and David Landis (center) help position the anchor line for Ranger Intern Philicady Garland as she attaches it to the anchor on Lake Barkley in Kuttawa, Kentucky, Aug. 14, 2024. In preparation for the busy Labor Day weekend and declining water levels as the lake approaches winter, rangers are placing warning buoys in shallow waters to warn boaters to avoid those areas. (USACE photo by Michael Davis)
ORIGINAL ADVERTISEMENTS
Water splashes up as Ranger David Landis of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers places a buoy in Lake Barkley in Kuttawa, Kentucky, Aug. 14, 2024. In preparation for the busy Labor Day weekend and declining water levels as the lake approaches hibernation, rangers are placing warning buoys in shallow waters to warn boaters to avoid those areas. (USACE photo by Michael Davis)
ORIGINAL ADVERTISEMENTS
Ranger Danielle Packer (left) of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers watches as Ranger David Landis places a buoy anchor near the edge of a boat on Lake Barkley in Kuttawa, Kentucky, Aug. 14, 2024. In preparation for the busy Labor Day weekend and declining water levels as the lake approaches hibernation, rangers are placing warning buoys in shallow waters to warn boaters to avoid those areas. (USACE photo by Michael Davis)
ORIGINAL ADVERTISEMENTS
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Ranger David Landis positions a buoy to attach to an anchor before launching it into the water on Lake Barkley in Kuttawa, Kentucky, Aug. 14, 2024. In preparation for the busy Labor Day weekend and lower water levels as the lake approaches hibernation, rangers are placing warning buoys in shallow waters to warn boaters to avoid those areas. (USACE photo by Michael Davis)
ORIGINAL ADVERTISEMENTS
From left to right: U.S. Army Ranger Intern Philicady Garland, Ranger David Landis, Ranger Danielle Packer and Ranger Ben Clark pose for a photo on Lake Barkley in Kuttawa, Kentucky, Aug. 14, 2024. In preparation for the busy Labor Day weekend and lower water levels as the lake approaches winter waters, rangers placed warning buoys in shallow waters to warn boaters to avoid those areas. (USACE photo by Michael Davis)
ORIGINAL ADVERTISEMENTS
KUTTAWA, Kentucky – Three U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rangers and a ranger intern placed warning buoys on Lake Barkley on the morning of August 14, 2024 to alert boaters to shallow waters.
Towards the end of summer, the lake’s water level drops to a winter level of 354 feet, which is lower than the summer level of 359 feet. This 5-foot difference can be problematic for boaters who are unaware that some areas of the lake become dangerously shallow.
One such area, where there was an old road surface before the lake was created, is less than 30 cm deep in some places.
Together, the rangers placed four new warning buoys along the old roadbed to alert boaters to avoid the shallow water. This is done by cutting a piece of steel cable and attaching it to a cement anchor at one end and the plastic buoy at the other. Once the boat is in place, two rangers throw the anchor and buoy overboard.
Rangers have a variety of duties on and around the lake, but one of their most important duties is to ensure the safety of boaters, especially during the warmer months.
“The lake water level is lower and we ask that people stay in the secondary and primary navigation channels so they don’t get into any hazards on the lake,” said David Landis, USACE ranger at Lake Barkley. “We also ask that you wear your life jacket, we ask that you have a throw pillow handy, and we ask that you wear your kill switch at all times while the boat is in operation.”
