High water piled up debris, but several Lake Cumberland sites now cleared and ready

Several recreation facilities at Lake Cumberland that were damaged when the lake hit a record high level in February have been cleared of debris and will be open for tourist season, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Thursday.

Heavy rain in Southern and Eastern Kentucky pushed the lake to a level of 756.52 feet in February, topping the old record by almost five feet and leaving logs and other debris piled up on boat ramps and roads when the water receded.

Contractors and Corps of Engineers employees were able to clear debris and repair electrical outlets more quickly than anticipated, the agency said in a news release.

Crews burned some wood and used a cleanup boat to chip some of it.

The corps first announced that the campground at Waitsboro, in Pulaski County, might be closed all season, but said Thursday that it will open Memorial Day weekend.

The boat ramp at Waitsboro is open.

The day use area at Fishing Creek, also in Pulaski County, which has picnic tables and playground equipment, opened May 2 and the campground is scheduled to open Friday, according to the corps.

The Lakeview ramp in Pulaski County and the ramp at the Kendall recreation area, below Wolf Creek Dam in Russell County, also are open, the agency said.

The corp made temporary repairs to the Kendall ramp to get it open, but 10 campsites are out of commission because of erosion on the riverbank caused by huge discharges from the dam to get the lake level down.

The corps said people can get information about recreation areas at the lake and make camping reservations by calling 877-444-6777 or logging on to www.recreation.gov.