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Three of the five large tainter gates at the Red Rock Dam are now partially open as the lake continues to receive a steady in-flow of water from the Des Moines River basin. The out-flow of the dam increased to 50,000 cubic feet per second on Tuesday, which is half of what the output was during the flooding in 2008.

As of 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, the water level at Lake Red Rock had continued to increase and was near 778.57 feet and slowly rising. The latest forecast from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has the lake cresting at over 780 feet after noon on Sunday, July 4th.

With water levels at Saylorville Lake expected to go over the spillway beginning Wednesday and continuing into Thursday, Lake Red Rock is expected to experience another increase of in-flow, with the latest forecast predicting roughly 70,000 cubic feet per second to enter the reservoir. The forecast also predicts that the increase in the in-flow will prompt the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to increase the out-flow at the dam to 60,000 cubic feet per second on Saturday.

The Corp of Engineers re-evaluates these predictions continually, and KNIA/KRLS will immediately report any changes as they are released.

Additionally, Howell Station Campground remains closed until further notice due to river levels. The North and South Tailwater Recreation Areas below the dam remain open at this time.

Boat ramps that are currently open include those at the Wallashuck Recreation Area, Marina Cove and Elk Rock State Park (just off of Highway 14) for lake access, and Howell Station Landing for river access below the dam. Parking areas at the Marina Cove ramp are very limited during times of high water.

The North Overlook and Whitebreast Beaches are closed.

A line of buoys has been placed on Lake Red Rock approximately a half-mile west of the dam. No boats are allowed beyond the buoy line for safety reasons.

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