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GRDA Lake PAtrol

Duck Creek Map and Lake Rules

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Alert


GRDA Lake Patrol
918-782-9594
PO Box 70
Langley OK 74350

Lake Info
918-256-7537 or 918-782-9490

Lake Level and Weather for
Grand Lake
Lake Hudson


GRDA Summer 2008 Lake Guide for Grand Lake and Lake Hudson.


Report Ligthhouse Problems

To report problems with GRDA's lighthouse on Grand Lake email:
lighthouses
@grda.com



Safety Check List
Before you leave the dock, know the stability, load capability and handling of the boat you are operating. Remember, every boat is different.

All boats must be equipped with certain safety equipment, but this equipment is useless if you don't know how to use it. Learn how to properly use all safety equipment.

Check water conditions. Know where hazards like sandbars and stump beds are located.

Before you leave home, check the weather conditions. Don't get caught on the lake in a storm you could have avoided.

Double check to see if all your safety equipment is on the boat (these are required by law):

Required Safety Equipment:
  • PFD life preserver
  • Lights
  • Horn or whistle
  • Fire extinguishers
  • Throwable cushions
  • Bailing device
  • Anchor
  • Oars
Airplane pilots file a flight plan. Boaters need a "float plan." Let someone responsible know where you are going and when you will return. (This alone might keep you from being stranded on the lake overnight.)

"If you drink, don't drive" applies doubly on the lake. Most lake accidents are alcohol-related. Don't become an accident statistic.
LAKE PATROL

Located on the west end of Pensacola Dam in Langley, OK, the Grand River Dam Authority Lake Patrol Headquarters is in the heart of GRDA lake country. It is the central point of dispatch for GRDA's patrol force which is responsible for the safety of people enjoying the recreational opportunities on all GRDA waters. The patrol is also responsible for the enforcement of GRDA lake regulations, conducts dock and boat inspections and oversees the permit process for dredging and similar activities along the lake shore.

Noise Abatement - Except for sanctioned events permitted by GRDA, all vessels must be muffled pursuant to 63 O.S.A. §4208 and no person shall operate a vessel that exceeds the noise level of 90 decibels on an A-weighted scale when subjected to a sound level test as prescribed by SAE J2005 within fifty (50) feet of any public or private dock or at any location between the hours of 9:00 P.M. through 9:00 A.M.

Lake Rules and Regulations

This is a guide to answer frequently asked questions concerning lake rules. Complete rules and regulations in PDF format GRDA Lake Rules 2008. Lake rules are also available at GRDA's Lake Patrol office and most marinas.

All relevant Oklahoma laws, as well as the GRDA Lake Rules and Regulations, apply to all GRDA lakes. Failure to comply with these may be a criminal offense.

All vessels must have Oklahoma registration and license by June 30 each year. Boats currently registered in another state may be used on these lakes for a 60-day period without registering them. If the boat remains in Oklahoma for more than 60 calendar days, it must be registered in Oklahoma. Registration stickers must be displayed on the front port and starboard portion of the vessel.

All boats kept or operated on GRDA lakes shall be inspected by GRDA's Lake Patrol. A safety inspection sticker shall be placed on the port front portion of boat. This is a free inspection.

Grand Lake Sail & Power SquadronThe Grand Lake Sail & Power Squadron has a Vessel Safety Check Program offering free boat inspections for the Grand Lake area. For more information visit their web site or call 1-918-786-4830.


Open a PDF version of the Grand Lake Sail & Power Squadron's Vessel Safety Check Program brochure.

All children (age 12 and under) must wear an approved life preserver (personal flotation device) at all times when the boat they are in is 26 feet long or smaller.

Within 150 feet of boats, wharves, docks, shoreline, landings or swimming areas, power boats and personal watercraft must not travel faster than idle speed. All boats shall respect the 'No Wake Areas' including under all bridges. Vessel operators will be held responsible for any property damage caused by their wake.

Boat operators must be at least 16 years old and have a valid automobile operators license, unless under the direct (on board) supervision of a responsible adult.

Operators of a personal watercraft must be a at least 15 years of age. Children ages 12 -14 may operate one if they are visually supervised by a responsible adult.

Operators of personal watercraft must stay at least 50 feet away from all moving vessels and must idle around docks and swimmers. Operators must wear an approved life preserver.

Water skiing, jet skiing and similar activities are permitted only during daylight hours. Water skiing is prohibited upstream from the Strang Bridge on Lake Hudson, above Twin Bridges, in Elm Creek east of Grove water intake tower, above the Harbors Marina on Duck Creek, and above Lakemont Shores ramp on Drowning Creek on Grand Lake.

In addition to the boat operator, a boat towing a skier must have a person (of at least eight years old) in a position to observe the skier, unless a rear view mirror has been installed so that the boat operator can observe the skier.

Wake jumping is prohibited in any cove, creek or hollow.
All boats must carry an approved personal flotation device for each person on board. No boat shall operate above its licensed capacity. Each boat shall be equipped with a paddle or set of oars, an anchor, a bailing device, horn or whistle and a flame arrestor if applicable.

Boats over 16 feet in length must have a throwable cushion. Sirens are not permitted. All boats must have proper navigation lights and fire extinguishers. For details, check with a lake patrolman or in the applicable laws.

No one shall sit or ride on the sides of a boat (unless it has 24-inch high rails) while it is moving faster than idle or trolling speed. Operators may stand, if the vessel was designed to be driven from a standing position.

During nighttime hours, boat speeds must not exceed 35 miles an hour. Lights must be illuminated at all times.

Boats must not be operated within 200 feet of any GRDA dam, and during generation no closer than 500 feet. No boat may be operated in a reckless, unsafe manner. No boat may be operated by a person under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

All boats shall be muffled according to State law. Marine toilets must have a total retention system.

In the interest of public health, no camping is permitted on GRDA property except in designated public use areas. No littering or trash dumping is allowed on GRDA property, including the water.

Only shotguns and proper archery equipment are allowed on GRDA property. All hunting on GRDA property shall be conducted in accordance with Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation regulations.

With the exception of the Lake Patrol, boats powered by internal combustion engines are not permitted on W.R. Holway Reservoir.

Inspection stickers may be cancelled and boats removed from the waters of GRDA lakes for any violation of these rules.
BOAT SMART
BOAT SAFE
BOAT CERTIFIED !
Effective January 2007
The Kyle Williams Boating Safety Education Act is now in effect in Oklahoma.

It prohibits kids between the ages of 12 and up to 16 year olds, without a valid drivers license, from operating any vessel powered by a motor of more than 10 horsepower or a sailing vessel 16-feet or longer without first completing a state-approved Boater Safety Course. They must also have a certificate documenting their completion of the course. Fines for violating this new law range from $50-$500.

For information about the Kyle Williams Boating Safety Education Act and Boater Safety Courses, contact:

- OKLAHOMA BOATING 
EDUCATION
www.okboated.com

- GRDA’s LAKE PATROL
918-782-9594

GRDA’s Lake Patrol is offering the following Boater Safety Courses, FREE of charge:

March 8, 22, 29, 2008
Grove Community Center
104 W. 3rd, Grove
8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Lunch will not be provided.

May 10, 2008
Locust Grove Inn & Suites
106 Holiday Lane,
Locust Grove
8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Lunch will not be provided.

To reserve your spot, please contact
Jacklyn Jaggars at
256-5545 x4523 or
jjaggars@grda.com.


Grand Lake Sail & Power Squadron




The Grand Lake Sail & Power Squadron is also offering the following Boat Smart classes to meet this requirement.
BoatSmart
Safe Boating Classes

Providing the fundamentals of boat design, operation and Federal, State and Local regulations.
Date and Time to be Announced.
There is NO charge for the BoatSmart classes.

For more information visit the Grand Lake Sail & Power Squadron.

Boat Safe, Boat Smart


Application Request for Buoy Placement

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