Grand River Dam Authority Police Department |
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EMERGENCY 911 GRDA Police 918-256-0911
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Surviving Cold Weather Boating
While some boaters have already winterized their boats or put them into storage until spring, many still use their vessels for those rare pleasure cruises on sunny winter days, hunting, fishing or transportation to a lakeside restaurant. Unfortunately, the risk of a deadly accident is increased with cold weather, so extra caution and preparation should be taken before heading out on the water in winter.
The importance of wearing a life jacket becomes even more critical when the danger for hypothermia is added to other concerns. Sudden immersion in cold water can have severe physiological consequences, including cardiac arrest, quick loss of body heat (the body loses heat 25 times faster in cold water than in cold air) and involuntary inhalation of water (gasping) that results in drowning. Wearing a life jacket can keep the boaters head above water, keep the person warm, and provide a chance for rescue.
Wearing the right clothing also contributes to more enjoyable and safer cold weather boating. Consider layering clothing, and including a wet suit or dry suit, to help ward off hypothermia.
Here are some additional tips for safe winter boating:
- Assess the risks – think about what can go wrong and be fully equipped and prepared.
- Leave a float plan with a responsible individual who knows your intentions, location, and who to call if you fail to return as scheduled.
- Watch for ice. Not just on the water, but on the dock as well! Seldom used or untreated walkways are accidents waiting to happen. Exercise caution when walking on docks, especially around shady areas where ice can remain even during warmer days.
- Be sure your vessel is in good operating condition and has the necessary safety equipment on board before you leave the dock.
- Gas up before you go. Many of the gas docks you visit in the summer may be closed, so make sure you don’t get stranded because you forgot to put fuel in the boat.
- Keeping your batteries charged is a must-do task, but can get often overlooked. Nothing could be worse than checking off all of the above tips, getting to the boat ramp and cranking the engine only to discover the battery is dead. Batteries drain much quicker in cold weather. Keep them charged at all times with a trickle charger.
- Carry a cell phone with charger in a water proof container, VHF radio and an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon), signal flares, whistle or other sound producing device and other means to draw attention to your location. The lakes can be pretty deserted this time of year and getting someone to help you can be a difficult task.
- Be on the lookout, because water levels are lowered to winter pool. Bottom hazards are exposed or nearer the surface, so the same lake you speed across during summer is much different than winter. Designate a passenger as the lookout to keep watch for any hazards in the path of the boat.
- Be aware of and prepared for the shock of sudden immersion and incapacitating effects of cold water – dress to get wet and carry a change of clothing in a waterproof container.
- Watch the activity around your vessel and the potential for fast-changing weather.
- Periodically check all connections prone to leakage or that are used to drain water, including drains, portholes and seacocks. Water that leaks in from below the waterline or from rain can freeze and expand, causing damage and creating unsafe slick surfaces. If you trailer the boat, remove the drain plug and allow all water to drain from the hull after your outing.
- Boat safe and sober – save the alcohol for when you’ve safely returned.
- Refresh your seamanship skills – this is the perfect time of year to take a boating safety course offered by America’s Boating Club – Grand Lake.
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Alcohol Education Videos Ready for Release
The GRDA partnered with the National Indian Women’s Health Resource Center several months ago to produce a series of video segments to release on social media to address the dangers of alcohol use in water recreation. The goal in the production of the videos is to educate the public about how the use of alcohol and drugs can impact their safety on the Illinois River and what laws are enforced related to the topic.
The short video segments were produced by GRDA Police and Media Departments with the help of the NIWHRC for release on social media platforms for GRDA and the NIWHRC to inform the public about the problems associated with the use of alcohol while floating. The final video of the series was recently completed by the GRDA Media Department and is available for viewing, along with the other videos in the series. All three videos can be viewed at the following links:
Because the question about alcohol use on the Illinois River is frequently asked, our goal is to use these video messages to inform the public about what regulations are enforced by officials, and why they are enforced, before they plan their trip to the river.
We encourage all Illinois River float operators to make these informational videos available to your customers by posting links to the three video messages on your social media platforms and websites to educate the public about the regulations and hazards associated with the use of alcohol while floating on the Illinois River.
We recommend establishing links to the video messages using the following format on your website and social media:
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The Dangers of Alcohol Use While Recreating on the Illinois River
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What Regulations are Enforced for Alcoholic Beverages on the Illinois River?
- Curbing Risky Behavior
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SH-28 Closed at Pensacola Dam
All lanes of east and westbound SH-28 are closed at the Pensacola Dam between Langley and Disney until spring 2021. This is part of a $14 million project to improve three bridges on SH-28 at Grand Lake.
The official highway detour utilizes SH-82 and SH-20. Once work is complete at the SH-28/Pensacola Dam bridge in spring 2021, it will open to traffic and the two SH-28 bridges at the spillways will then close to traffic. The same highway detour will still be in place for this phase of the project.
We anticipate the bridge over the Pensacola Dam to be closed till March 17, 2021. Work will then move to the two spillways that will be closed till Memorial Day of next year. The overall project is expected to complete in summer 2021, weather permitting.
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The Dangers of
Decorative Lighting
Boaters wanting to buy themselves a special Christmas gift may be thinking about adding some “bling” to the boat – such as multicolored decorative LED deck and space lighting. But lighting your boat up like a Christmas tree can create hazards that you need to consider before you commit to the expense. Extra lights installed in the wrong place could cause other boaters to misinterpret your boat’s navigation lights and present a safety hazard.
Today’s decorative lighting options, from ropes to underwater lighting, allow DIYers to personalize their boats with a variety of auxiliary lighting. The challenge comes when the boat is underway. Decorative lights installed in the wrong location may cause others to misinterpret your vessel’s red, green and white navigation lighting. Bright decorative lights can wash out the navigation lights making them difficult for other boaters to see, and bright lights of many colors can also reduce your night vision and hamper your ability to safely navigate.
When considering any type of decorative lighting for your boat, there are two key factors to remember; what other boaters see and what you as the operator can see when piloting at night.
When underway, you want to avoid displaying any light that could be confused as a navigation light or another type of vessel. When installing decorative LED lighting, connecting the auxiliary lights to a single master switch allows you to easily turn off all nonessential auxiliary decorative lights before heading out. You should also remember that flashing red and blue lights are reserved for law enforcement and emergency vessels– at a distance, wave action combined with the steady rocking of high-intensity red & blue lights below the waterline can give the appearance of an emergency vessel.
When considering add-on lighting, you also want to make certain you do not impair your ability to safely operate at night because of excessive auxiliary lighting. Don’t install decorative lights that prevent the operator from maintaining a good lookout. When running between sunset and sunrise, it’s critical that those behind the wheel maintain their night vision, so the number-one goal is to keep light out of the operator’s eyes. Glare from aesthetic lighting such as LED rope lights wrapped around a helm station can ruin your night vision, which is essential for the safe operation of a boat at night. You need to be able to see any hazards in the water, not just navigation lights from other vessels.
If you do choose to install decorative lights on your boat, remember to turn them off when underway at night in order to ensure that you see other boats by preserving your night vision and that your navigation lights are not masked to other boaters.
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Bright decorative lighting on the interior of your vessel can impede the ability of the boat operator to maintain their night vision and the ability to see other boats (above left). Bright auxiliary lights on the exterior of your boat (above right) can mask or cover the navigation lights on the boat, making it difficult for other boaters to see your navigation lights. Interior and exterior decorative lights should be turned off while your vessel is underway. |
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If you are looking for a great holiday gift idea for your Laker, then we have the perfect solution for you.
Go to the GRDA.com website where you can download a high resolution copy of the Grand Lake or Hudson Lake channel maps. Take these files to a local printer and have the maps reproduced on a poster-sized print. Have the print mounted on foam core, put it in a beautiful frame and voila! You have the perfect gift for your Laker to proudly display at home, business or office.
This is not only an attractive rendering of the lakes that we love, but is a practical map of the lake that will garner lots of attention and compliments. Get your free copy of the Grand or Hudson lake maps today from your friends at GRDA!
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GRDA Services
Under the Executive Order of the Governor, we continue working under the Open Up and Recover Safely plan. GRDA maintains necessary services to the public under restrictions of Phase 3 of the plan.
- All GRDA facilities remain closed to the public, including the Eco Center in Langley. Limited staffing operates at our facilities, including Eco, and all public meetings and events remain restricted with strict access control implemented at all GRDA facilities. The Pensacola Dam remains closed for public tours.
- You can continue to do business with GRDA personnel on line and by phone. Many of our administrative personnel continue to be assigned to work at home or off-site and can be contacted by email and phone.
- GRDA Police will allow permitted public events on GRDA lakes and properties. All permitted events must adhere to guidelines published by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- GRDA Police will continue participation at public information and education events under restrictions.
- The GRDA Police Department will continue to follow procedures established by state and federal authorities to protect you and our personnel by maintaining personal distances. This may require that officers conduct investigations without personal contact, by phone and email. When officers do respond to a call for service, they may ask people to come outside; we will only enter your property if needed.
- Our personnel may be wearing protective gear, such as masks, glasses and gloves. This is done to protect you and the officers from community spread. While community engagement is vital to us, it must take a different form when we are dealing with a contagious virus.
- GRDA officers will be enforcing social distancing requirements. We ask that you adhere to protocols and guidelines published by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
- Even though the OURS plan is allowing more public gatherings, this pandemic continues to affect us in this region, so we will limit unnecessary contacts and respond to calls for service by doing more contacts by phone and prioritizing our responses. This may include the reduction of contacts for minor violations.
We will continue to maintain contact with you through electronic communication to keep our social distances appropriate. Please continue to invoke the strategies needed to maintain appropriate distances from other people, practice good hygiene by frequently washing your hands, protect your personnel and the public.
Our goal is to continue to provide the service you expect, but we must protect our personnel so that we can provide the assistance you will need in the future. We will do whatever we can to get through these challenging times.
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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?
Check the weather, including the water temperature. Know the latest marine weather forecast prior to going out, and keep a regular check for changing conditions.
Always dress for the weather, wearing layers if cooler weather, and bring an extra set of clothes in case you get wet.
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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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Water Muffling
Except for a sanctioned event, no person shall operate a vessel or motor which is not equipped with a muffler or muffler system in good working order. The use of cutouts, removal of mufflers or muffler baffles, cutting or punching of holes in mufflers or otherwise modifying the original muffler or muffling system installed by the manufacturer or any subsequent muffler or muffling system so as to increase or modify the noise level is prohibited.
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Boating Tips From
Americas Boating Club
Grand Lake
When winterizing your boat don’t neglect your batteries. If the boat is to be hauled and put in dry storage for the winter, remove the battery, clean the exterior and store it where you can periodically charge it. The cable terminals should be wiped with petroleum jelly or other nonmetallic grease to prevent corrosion.
If the boat is to remain in the water, it is best to leave the battery in place to provide electrical power for all 12 volt systems such as the bilge pumps and alarms. Be sure the battery stays charged through the winter as a discharged battery can freeze, expand and explode spraying acid in the surrounding area. It is also important to not overcharge a battery in cold weather as it can damage a battery and shorten its life.
Are you interested in joining a boating club on Grand Lake to have fun, plus the opportunity to take courses online or in the classroom to improve your boating skills and knowledge? Visit online americasboatingclub.org or usps.org/grandlake, on Facebook: America’s boating club-grand lake for more information.
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2020
Special Events Schedule
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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 918-782-4726
GRDA Lake Permits 918-256-0852
GRDA Pensacola Dam Tours & Facility Information 918-256-0899
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