News

Due to broken buoy line at dam, GRDA Police advising extra caution on Lake Hudson

Jul 02, 2021

The Grand River Dam Authority Police Department is reporting that the cable which holds the warning buoys in place across the floodgate openings at Robert S. Kerr Dam (Lake Hudson) near Locust Grove broke loose on Friday morning, July 2.

Due to this, it is critically important that any watercraft on Lake Hudson stay well clear of the dam and that area of the lake. With floodgates currently open at the dam, and anticipated to remain open for several days, there is a high flow rate of water in the area. With any mechanical failure of a watercraft near the dam, the current could pull a craft through the open gates.

“We always stress to boaters to stay well clear of open floodgate areas on our dams,” said GRDA Vice President of Corporate Communications Justin Alberty. “However, with the buoy line currently broken, we cannot stress that message enough for those visiting Lake Hudson.”

Even at times of normal lake conditions, it is important to always keep your watercraft at a safe distance from all hydroelectric facilities. Along with buoys, signs and sirens are in place to help keep you safe by restricting access to certain areas and warning you when floodgate or generation operations may be occurring.

For the latest information on floodgate operations and lake conditions on GRDA’s Grand and Hudson lakes, follow GRDA’s Facebook page or visit grda.com. If you have an emergency on the water, call 911. The GRDA Police Department’s non-emergency number is (918) 256-0911.