In early April, historic flooding impacted much of the region over seen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District. Among the top priorities for the Green River Area lakes in the aftermath was locating and reinstalling hundreds of regulatory buoys. These buoys are essential for keeping boaters safe and informed.
Buoys with messages like “Idle Speed, No Wake,” “No Ski,” or “No Boats” are often seen on the lake. Their placement is critical, not just for boat navigation, but for protecting swimmers in beaches, reducing speed in congested areas, protecting boat launching and mooring areas, regulating skiing activity, marking hazards, and restricting boats from operational areas.
Nolin River Lake in Bee Spring, Kentucky, reached a high-water mark of 557.29 feet mean sea level — 42 feet above summer pool. This event marks their second-highest flood on record.
“Water this high moves or submerges all but a few buoys on the lake,” said Nolin River Lake Park Ranger Matt Skaggs. “Once these buoys are underwater, they cannot be seen until we return to summer pool.”
In total, Nolin has approximately 110 buoys deployed at summer pool and an estimated 85 percent were displaced or submerged during the high-water event.
“Any buoy on the water is there for safety, protection of public infrastructure or security,” Skaggs said.
Finding the missing buoys was the first step in the recovery effort, and lake staff got to work as soon as the water started to recede.
The recovery work required team coordination and some essential tools, including jon boats, cinder blocks, cable and clamps.
“The jon boat can safely transport several buoys plus the cable, hardware, cinder blocks and staff,” Skaggs said. “Typically, two park rangers handle the reinstallations, with sometimes a third helping place supplies for the crew.”
This high priority task came at a busy time for the team. In the case of this specific flooding event, the team at Nolin River Lake were working on these buoys when they would typically be gearing up for the summer recreation season.
To help keep the public informed about hazards while the buoys were being reinstalled, the team at Nolin used Facebook to share updates, promote safe boating practices, and share reminders to check gear and plan ahead.
Now, after weeks of work, the buoy reinstallation effort is nearly completed.
“As you boat this season, take time to recognize the buoys on the water and identify what they are,” Skaggs said. “Do some planning before you hit the water and be sure to check all your safety gear.”