The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that staff will be conducting maintenance at the Port Douglas and Port Henry boat launches this week. The boat launches will be closed for the day of maintenance at each site. The Port Douglas Boat Launch will be closed on July 28; the Port Henry Boat Launch will be closed on July 29.

DEC Operations staff will be fixing a deep pit that formed at the end of each boat launch ramp, known as a power loading hole. Power loading holes happen when a person forcefully drives a boat onto or off a trailer, creating significant propeller wash that erodes the lake bed. These holes are not always visible from the surface and can be dangerous to boaters and damage boats and trailers.

To avoid creating power loading holes or sustaining damage from them, boaters should:

• Always check the end of the ramp for holes and mounds before launching, especially in low water level conditions;
• Use slightly more than idle speed to load or unload your boat to avoid creating power loading holes; and
• Use trailer winch to load and unload instead of power loading.

For more information about boat launch sites, go to: https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/nyboatlaunching.pdf.