Hot weather over Labor Day weekend means crowded lakes and rivers

Hot weather and a three-day weekend is a recipe for busy rivers and lakes.

But this year, low water in most interior rivers will require paddlers and tubers on all but the largest streams to do some walking as water levels are nearly identical as during last year?s drought.

Todd Robertson, with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Water Trails program, said paddlers and tubers should check stream flows on the USGS site, or call the county conservation board before heading out to avoid trouble while on the water.

?We don?t want people to get in to trouble because the water can?t support a canoe, kayak or tube and they have to walk, turning a six hour trip in to a 10- to 12-hour trip,? Robertson said.

He also said that paddlers shouldn?t have a false sense of safety just because the rivers are low.

?Unfortunately when it?s hot, paddlers tend to avoid wearing lifejackets, which is a mistake. Lifejackets don?t work if you don?t wear them. Hazards can be around the next bend and if (floaters) are drinking alcohol, the combination of heat and sun can impair their decision making and motor skills, putting them at unnecessary risk,? Robertson said.

The additional people on the rivers and lakes mean also everyone needs to have patience and be courteous to one another, he advised.

The Iowa DNR will be increasing its law enforcement presence on certain interior rivers as part of its ?Keep it Clean, Keep it Fun for Everyone,? campaign to remind river users that their behavior affects other people, including neighboring landowners.

?We need all of our users to respect the resource and take out what they bring in,? Robertson said. ?Respect the private property rights of landowners living along the river, including the sandbars and riverbanks. Nearly all of Iowa?s river bottoms are privately owned.?