Grand River Dam Authority Police Department |
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EMERGENCY 911 GRDA Police 918-256-0911
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Know the Dangers
Beneath the Surface
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Winter will soon be upon us and temperatures are rapidly dropping. For those still getting out on Oklahoma’s lakes and rivers, GRDA Police is reminding people that cold water will cool a body 25 times faster than cold air of the same temperature.
The water temperature in lakes and rivers is already in the 40’s and quickly dropping this time of year. Water cooler than the normal body temperature of 98.6 degrees causes heat loss. Nearly 90% of boating fatalities are due to drowning, and nearly half of those are attributed to the effects of immersion in cold water.
Our outdoor spaces are great in any weather, but there are dangers associated with cold water that could put even the most skilled boaters and paddlers at risk. While we want everyone to enjoy the seasonable weather, we want to make sure everyone is prepared and that starts with wearing a life jacket.
Wearing a life jacket is as important as wearing a seatbelt while driving. A properly fitted life jacket will keep a person’s airway out of the water- which is most important when the gasping reflex begins. Heart rate and blood pressure increase dramatically, increasing the risk for cardiac arrest. The victim may hyperventilate and find it difficult to get air into the lungs.
Be prepared for the colder temperatures by taking the following steps before leaving the house:
· Dress appropriately and use layers.
· Always check the weather report.
· Make sure your phone is charged.
· Tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to return.
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The holiday season is upon us and your friends at GRDA Police look forward to joining many of our local communities in celebrating the Christmas holiday. Once again, our officers will be fanning out across the state with police boats and equipment decorated for the holiday celebrations to attend dozens of Christmas parades in the coming weeks.
GRDA Police plan to participate in a number of community parades including Adair, Pawnee, Vinita, Wagoner, Stillwater, Pryor, Tahlequah, Coffeyville, Broken Arrow, Stilwell, Siloam Springs, Claremore, Stroud, Miami, Salina, Chouteau, Locust Grove, Lindsay, Ketchum, Jay, Grove, Cushing, Collinsville, Mannford, Sallisaw, Skiatook, Langley, Disney and Afton.
We look forward to seeing you at your community celebrations!
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Hunting on GRDA Lands
Allot of interest is generated this time of year about where people are allowed to hunt on GRDA properties. The ability to hunt and fish on state owned GRDA land is outlined in the GRDA Administrative Regulations:
SECTION 300:35-3-9. Fishing and hunting
(a) Fishing or hunting within restricted areas will not be permitted.
(b) Fishing or hunting will not be permitted within two hundred (200) feet of the tailraces below the dams.
(c) Fishing or hunting, except commercial bait operators, will not be permitted at such other points on or about the lakes where such use will unduly interfere with navigation or proper conduct of the business of GRDA or endanger the public.
(d) Fishing and hunting in the Neosho Bottoms will only be allowed when properly permitted by GRDA. All permitted individuals shall have a proper hunting license in accordance with Oklahoma law and shall only use shotguns, primitive firearms, or proper archery equipment. No rifles shall be allowed within the Neosho Bottoms. Additionally, removal of trees or shrubs of any kind from GRDA land shall not be allowed for use as ground blinds.
(e) No hunting shall be allowed on GRDA lands used in the generation, delivery or transmission of electricity.
Neosho Bottoms is a restricted public use area in Ottawa County where GRDA conducts watershed research in association with multiple regional universities and has an educational/research agreement with NEO A&M. GRDA has specific locations where public hunting is allowed. GRDA and ODWC jointly manage two Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) on the Neosho River and two WMAs on the Spring River. Georeferenced maps of these WMAs are available on GRDA's website (below), along with GRDA's hunting rules and regulations.
GRDA has a draw hunt location west of Commerce Oklahoma along the Neosho River. Public access to this land is allowed on a limited basis through a draw hunt process for deer, waterfowl, and turkey hunting.
GRDA discourages the use of third-party web-based landowner maps for locating and accessing GRDA property outside of the above-mentioned locations.
So, the simple answer is that from Twin Bridges State Park to the north, people can hunt with a muzzleloader, archery, and slug gun. From Twin Bridges State Park to the south it is archery only except for shotguns using steel shot while waterfowl hunting. NO RIFLES CAN BE USED ON GRDA PROPERTY AT ANYTIME. GRDA also does not allow hunting below the Pensacola Dam to the end of Eagle Pass.
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Welcome Home
The GRDA Team recently had an open house to celebrate the completion of our new Administrative Center located at the Grand River Energy Center in Chouteau.
The Administrative Center gives us the ability to move employees from seven different locations to one, which improves not only safety, efficiency, and employee relationships, it also allows us to better serve our customers and communities by continuing to move forward with the OneGRDA philosophy.
We appreciate the responsible, strategic decision by the GRDA Board of Director’s to invest in this building years ago allowing us to be able to make this a reality.
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2023 Boating Safety Course Dates Announced
Sign Up to Take the Course Now!
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Do Your Business Online
There is a host of information available on our website at grda.com for those that live and work on our lakes, and much of the business you need to conduct with GRDA can be done online. This includes completing applications and paying for required permits.
When you go to grda.com, you can click on the link for Lake Permits. Review the list of permit applications available to include Dock Permits, Fishing Tournament permits, Construction permits, Buoy Placement permits, Special Event permits and a variety of others. Select the permit application that you need and email the completed application to our permit office at lakepermits@grda.com.
You can also make payment for required permits on the same page of the website using the tab for GRDA ONLINE PAYMENT CENTER. Whether you need to pay the fees for a new permit or the annual fees for a permit such as a dock, you can do it all online using a credit card at the online payment center.
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Keep Safety First for
Hunting & Fishing this Fall
Autumn is welcomed in Oklahoma with warm days followed by chilly nights—which is Mother Nature’s way of coloring our world and preparing us for winter. Waterfowl are migrating, deer are rutting, and the fish are active! The GRDA Police Department wants to remind hunters and anglers to keep safety as their number one priority during their fall adventures.
To have a safe, enjoyable hunting or fishing trip this fall, officials recommend following these simple tips:
• Lifejackets save lives! GRDA Regulations require that you wear a lifejacket when using a canoe, kayak, or raft and that all children 12 years old and younger wear a lifejacket while on a moving vessel.
• Impairment on the water is deadly! Never boat under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• Avoid placing yourself and passengers in danger by overloading your boat. Refer to your vessel’s capacity plate.
• Minimize movement in your vessel. Capsizing, sinking, or falling overboard for small boats accounts for more than 70% of all boating fatalities in the United States.
• Know the weather forecast. Weather conditions can change rapidly and defeat your operator skills and vessel’s capabilities.
• Plan ahead! Tell someone where you are going, when you plan to return, and update them on your plan as it changes; or file a float plan at the local marina or park office.
• Make sure you have a way to call for assistance. Marine radios and cell phones are good options.
• In the event of an emergency try to stay with your vessel if possible, because rescuers will look for you there first.
Regardless of the activity, a boater’s intention is never to end up in the water. Conditions change quickly in Oklahoma, and accidents can happen unexpectedly. More hunters and anglers are killed each year by drowning than by gunshot wounds in the field.
Typically, hunters use semi-V hulled, flat bottom boats, canoes, or kayaks which tend to be less stable and have a higher probability for capsizing. Hunters and anglers need to be aware of their boat’s limitations and their ability as operators when heading out to hunt fish or just enjoy a great autumn day out on the lake. Late season hunters and anglers should exercise an extra degree of care when air and water temperatures are colder. Boaters could find themselves fighting to survive cold water immersion with sudden movement on a boat overloaded with extra gear and partners.
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Do You Need Current Lake Information? |
Go to the GRDA Storm Ops web page to get current data including lake levels, lake parameters, storage details, flow conditions and much more.
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Did You Know?
The most common vessel types involved in reported accidents were open motorboats, personal watercraft, and cabin motorboats. Where vessel type was known, the vessel types with the highest percentage of deaths were open motorboats (50 percent), kayaks (13.5 percent), and canoes (7 percent).
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"Updates" on the Web
If you didn't receive our latest GRDA Update or you have a friend that wants to see our Updates, go to our website at https://www.grda.com/grda-police/ and click on the GRDA POLICE UPDATE for the latest version of our email release or to Join Our Email List.
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NAV TIME
A Summary of Boating Laws, Navigation Regulations & Tips
That All Boat Operators Should Know
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Fall Boating
2. Got a way back into the boat? Falls overboard may be ranked #5 on the 2021 U.S. Coast Guard’s list of the “Top Five Primary Accident Types”. Your boarding ladder should be functional and accessible as cold water can quickly sap strength. If your boat doesn’t have a built in-ladder, a compact emergency ladder or even a looped line attached to a cleat, pre-rigged with foothold loops every few inches and hung over the transom, can substitute.
3. For life jackets, camo styling hides a danger: Dark green, tan and black camo patterns are remarkable at doing exactly as designed, blending you into your surroundings. However, that’s not a benefit if you happen to be floating in the water and rescuers are searching. If possible, make their job easier and wear a life jacket with high visibility. For smaller vessels and paddlers, leaf peeping season is also a really good time to secure the life jacket to your body – that includes using buckle snaps.
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Boating Tips From
Americas Boating Club
Grand Lake
Delaying refueling until closer to the time of winterizing your boat will give more room for fresh fuel and reduce the aging process of fuel in your tanks. Filling the tank (s) to almost full, but allowing room for expansion as the temperature warms, will help prevent condensation of moisture in the tanks as air moves into and out of the tank due to temperature changes. The moisture will settle to the bottom and eventually quantities of water will accumulate that can cause trouble next boating season. Don’t forget to add a fuel stabilizer to reduce problems caused by condensation of water, gums and fungus (in diesel engines). Preventing a problem is easier and less expensive. Always use a cloth or absorbent tissue at the fill tube to prevent fuel spills into the water.
Consider yourself invited to join the local boating club to have fun, plus the opportunity to take courses online or in the classroom to improve your boating skills and knowledge. Visit us online at usps.org/grandlake and send us an email with your contact information. Also visit us at Facebook: America’s boating club-grand lake for more information.
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2022
Special Events Schedule
December 10: CYC Christmas Boat Parade & Fireworks, Duck Creek, Grand Lake
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Do you have a Special Event Planned?
PLEASE let us know about your lake or river events so we can provide the resources you may need to make it a positive experience!
If you have a special event you would like for us to help you promote,
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GRDA Police Dispatch 918-256-0911
GRDA Ecosystems and Education Center 918-981-8470
GRDA Lake Permits 918-782-1743
GRDA Pensacola Dam Tours & Facility Information 918-981-8470
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