A couple of years ago, you couldn’t find many people on Lake Arrowhead.
Keith Gauthier, Lake Arrowhead Park Superintendent, said the difference from then to now is night and day.
“The boat ramps were completely out of the water,” Gauthier said. “Unless you had a private ramp that was down in the water, it was hard for you to launch a boat here.You were not able to launch a boat from the park at that time. The fishing piers were also completely dry.”
Gauthier said that the drought took a toll on the staff.
“It was depressing and tough,” Gauthier said. “It was not something we wanted to see because we take a lot of pride in what we do and want to offer a great place for the public to enjoy. When you are making things happen at the park, doing your job, and people are not showing up, it can be tough sometimes. So it has definitely been rewarding to see folks out on the water with a full lake now.”
Things are now normal with lake-goers back on the water.
However, rainfall has created a new problem that no one anticipated.
“We have part of the state park closed right now due to flooding conditions,” Gauthier said. “It does not seem like the water is going away. It seems like everyday we wake up, come to work, and there is new water and more water where we have never seen water before.”
With the recent rain Texoma has received, Gauthier said the camping grounds will not be open any time soon.
“We have had the camp sites closed since April 25th and just recently canceled reservations for the entire month of June,” Gauthier said. “We are unsure when we will re-open the camp sites to the public. Obviously, our goal is to re-open it as soon as possible, but Mother Nature has to work with us a little bit.”
Despite the flooding, Gauthier is just happy people are back on the lake.
“People are out on the water,” Gauthier said. “They are fishing, swimming, boating, skiing and setting jug lines. They are just getting out and enjoying the lake for what it has to offer for the first time in several years.”
Gauthier said that no one lost their jobs and no hours were cut during the drought.
Park officials are hoping that after June the water will recede, and they can open camping areas for the second half of the summer.
– Newschannel 6
