Drought Leads To Low Water Levels At Lake Hefner

Havonnah Johnson, News 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The drought is certainly a drain on sailing season. The receding lake isn't beautiful, but is more like "H2- NO".

Under the brutal Oklahoma sun, the only ones using the docks at Lake Hefner are spiders and ducks. Bob Chope, the Oklahoma boating club commodore measures lake levels daily.

"It was worse than it is right now actually in 2007. There was actually mud here in the harbor. Some of the boats we had to put props one each side and support them from falling over," Chope said.

He says the harbor loses a foot every nine days. This year the group is being proactive. instead of racing and relaxing, the group's focus has shifted to repairing the dock, since sailing season is washed up.

"Once our keels are in the mud we have to take them out of the water we would not only damage our boat but damage the facilities as well we don't want that to happen," Chope said.

The levels at the harbor are an estimated three feet. Lake Hefner's harbor is expected to be reduced to mud by August 29.