Smithville Lake’s water levels are way low. Boaters and swimmers, here’s what to know

A dry spring and summer has created potentially hazardous conditions for boaters on Smithville Lake in Clay County, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.

The lake, normally 864.2 feet above sea level, is currently 2 to 6 feet below that level, said Lora Vacca, operations manager for Smithville Lake.

The low conditions don’t make the lake unusable but it means boaters must be extra diligent, Vacca said.

“It really doesn’t look different except there’s a big bathtub ring around the lake,” she said.

The lake management is considering moving buoys in the beach area to allow swimmers more space because much of the water has receded.

The low water has created shallow areas within the lake and uncovered obstacles, like tree stumps, for boats to navigate. These could cause damage to boats or strand boaters.

“We want people to be aware that it is not normal for this time of year, and we haven’t had these conditions in a long time,” Vacca said.

Boaters are encouraged to stay within the main channel, avoid the northern and eastern arms of the lake and bring a map with them in case they get stuck and need to call for help.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol echoed these warnings in a Facebook post by the Army Corps of Engineers.

“Educate yourself. Boaters need to be familiar with the lake before they venture out,” says Cpl. Kimberly Davis. “Pay attention. Know the areas of the lake such as arms and bridges so that in the event help is needed, they can identify where they are.

It has been more than 20 years since the lake was this low, Vacca said. It’s been at its present level since its annual draining in January, which creates room for spring rainfall. But dry conditions persisted through spring and summer.

The average rainfall in Kansas City by this time of the year is 22.79 inches. This year’s total is only 18.81 inches.

“It might be some of the fall storms or winter storms that get us back to normal,” Vacca said. “We hope it’s not that long.”

This story was originally published July 25, 2018 at 7:03 PM.