Part of Osage River reopens to recreational boats

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Friday that a 22-mile stretch of the Osage River had opened to recreational boating.

The section of river from Lock and Dam No. 1 to the Route B bridge at St. Thomas reopened Friday, according to a patrol news release. The patrol’s Water Division determined the river levels had dropped enough to safely reopen the stretch.

The river was closed to recreational boats June 4 after heavy rain forced increased releases from Bagnell Dam on the Lake of the Ozarks. The patrol reopened the upper stretch of the river from St. Thomas to Bagnell Dam on June 10 as levels began to fall there.

The river remains closed from the Missouri River to Lock and Dam No. 1, the patrol said. Boaters should be on the lookout for floating debris and should avoid creating wakes where the water remains high, the patrol said.

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