PRAIRIE CREEK (KFSM) -- The US Army Corps of Engineers is advising people out on the water to be safe especially after the recent rainfall.
They issued a small boating advisory for the Arkansas River.
Alan Bland, a park ranger for Beaver Lake, said this advisory is for more than just those on the river.
He said areas like Beaver Lake are also seeing rising water levels that could pose a threat to boaters.
“They need to be aware that the lake is rising as the spring comes in and the lake has been low all winter," said Bland. "That we get some good rain, it's going to come up really, really quick. It’s come up about two and a half feet in the last couple of weeks.”
He explained that as water levels rise, it picks up debris like tree limbs and stumps.
Sometimes that debris can be seen above water or it can be just below the surface.
To prevent an accident from happening, Bland advises people to have a lookout on the front of the boat, wear a life jacket, and keep a kill switch on that jacket.
He said that way if someone does end up in the water, the boats engines will immediately stop.
The US Army Corps of Engineers expects this to last through spring and into the summer.
Bland said the lake some people knew a few months ago may not be the same lake today.
This advisory does not mean that boats are not allowed on the water, it just means people should be a little more careful.