Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office is seeing a trend with lowering water levels in Flaming Gorge and are asking the public to be aware. “Recently announced increases in the amount of water released from Flaming Gorge Reservoir means that water levels are expected to drop between four to six feet from current levels over the next three months,” shares the Sheriff’s Office. “At capacity, the elevation of water is 6,045 feet above sea level; current levels as of July 23rd are 22 feet below capacity, at 6,023 feet above sea level.” What this means is many boaters are getting stuck and requiring assistance in the following areas: the Firehole daytime beach area, Big Bend/Skunk Hill/Jap Island, the boat launch and nearby coves of Brennigan Ferry Crossing and Anvil Draw, and the state line cove area. The Sheriff’s Office is also experiencing an increase in calls of broken down vessels, vessels running out of fuel, and vessels unequipped with proper safety equipment onboard, including fire extinguishers, life vests, oars and distress signal flags. Their message for the public is simple: Please exercise caution when boating or otherwise recreating on the water, particularly in the above listed shallow caution areas.
