Jordan Lake water levels returning to normal, problems remain
DANGEROUS. AND IF YOU KNOW,
AREAS CONTACT 9-1-1, OK, BRIAN,
THANK YOU. NEW TONIGHT, WATER
LEVELS THAT SOME OF THE AREA'S
BIGGEST LAKES ARE BEGINNING TO
GO DOWN WITH CREWS STILL
RELEASING WATER TO LOWER THEM.
SO RIGHT NOW, JORDAN LAKE IS A
LITTLE LESS THAN 7 FEET ABOVE
NORMAL.
>> THAT IS A HUGE IMPROVEMENT
FROM DAYS AGO. BUT OFFICIALS
ARE WARNING PEOPLE STILL TO BE
CAREFUL ON THE WATER. YOU CAN
SEE CREWS STILL HAVE SO MUCH
DEBRIS TO CLEAN UP IN THE
AFTERMATH OF SHAN TALL, WRAL'S
WILL LEAD AN ALI IS JOINING US
NOW LIVE IN CHATHAM COUNTY.
AFTER SPEAKING WITH SOME OF THE
PEOPLE THERE WORKING TO CLEAN
UP, WILLIE.
>> AS WE SPEAK, WATER IS
RUSHING OUT OF THE DAM AT
JORDAN LAKE. THERE'S ACTUALLY
ENOUGH WATER RUSHING OUT TO
FILL A COUPLE OF SWIMMING POOLS
PURSED SECOND IN THE WATER
LEVEL IS NOT THE ONLY CONCERN
CLUE. CREWS ARE WORKING AROUND
THE CLOCK. THE CLEAN OF DEBRIS
LIKE THIS TO MAKE IT SAFE FOR
PEOPLE TO GET BACK ON THE
WATER.
>> THIS IS THE B EVERETT,
JORDAN DEAD MORE THAN 2 WEEKS
AFTER TROPICAL DEPRESSION
CHANTAL FLOODED THE AREA,
ACCORDING TO THE U.S. ARMY
CORPS OF ENGINEERS, THE WATER
LEVEL AT JORDAN LAKE REACH 15
FEET ABOVE NORMAL DURING THE
SEVERE WEATHER.
>> IF YOU LOOK BEHIND US, YOU
CAN ACTUALLY SEE ROUGHLY WHERE
THE HIGH WATER MARK IS. IF YOU
FOLLOW THE GRASS AND THEN ON TO
THE WHERE THE LOGS ARE.
>> NOW PARK RANGER JOHN
FETTERMAN TELLS ME THEY'RE
WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK TO GET
THE WATER LEVEL BACK TO NORMAL.
WELL, NOT REALLY SEE TOO MUCH
WATER AT ONCE. RIGHT NOW WE'VE
BEEN RELEASING ABOUT 14,000.
WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN CARING THAT
SINCE ABOUT A WEEK AGO.
>> INTO THE HALL RIVER, WHICH
STOPS IN THE CAPE FEAR RIVER
BASIN. SO WE EXPECT TO BE ABLE
TO CONTINUE THOSE RELEASES.
LIKE I SAID THROUGH ABOUT THE
EARLY TO MIDDLE PART OF NEXT
WEEK.
>> MANY FISHERMEN TOOK TO THE
WATERS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL
THE FISH BEING PUSHED
DOWNSTREAM.
LEICESTER SCROGGINS HAS BEEN
COMING TO JORDAN LAKE FOR 3
DECADES AND HAS NEVER SEEN
ANYTHING LIKE THE WATER LEVEL
2 WEEKS AGO. NOW, I'VE NEVER
SEEN IT LIKE THAT. I'VE SEEN IT
UP HIGH AND OVER THE WALKWAY
THAN EVER BEFORE. THE WALL
DEBRIS IN THE WATER HAS
COMPLICATED. THE CLEANUP
PROCESS. UNTIL SEA WATER LOGGED
LOGS AND UNDERWATER HAZARDS
HAVE MADE CONDITIONS ON THE
WATER. DANGEROUS AND SLOW DOWN
THE
REOPENING PROCESS.
>> YOU CAN SEE WHAT THE DAM
AND FRONT OF THE LAKE LOOKS
LIKE WITH ALL THE DEBRIS.
A LOT OF THAT HAS ALSO SETTLED
ON A LOT OF THE RECREATION
AREAS. SO BOAT RAMPS, SWIM,
BEACHES, OTHER PARK AREAS OF
THERE'S A LOT OF LOGS, A LOT
OF TRASH THAT THERE ARE AGENCY
AND OTHER MAJOR AGENCIES ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR CLEANING UP.
>> ACCORDING TO AND IF
EVERYTHING GOES ACCORDING TO
PLAN, PEOPLE COULD BE ABLE TO
GET BACK ON THE WATER HERE IN
JORDAN LAKE AS SOON AS THE
MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. HE ALSO
TOLD ME EVEN AFTER THOSE PUBLIC
SPACES ARE REOPEN, ENCOURAGES
EVERYONE TO PROCEED WITH
CAUTION, WEAR A LIFE VEST AND