We received word from the Allegan County Drain Commissioner that her crews have placed the planks in the dam as of May 3. This will allow the lake level to come up an additional foot – to the expected summer level.

The rain we received last night should help it get there quite quickly. In the event of additional heavy rain we have the option of contacting their office to have a plank temporarily removed.

Get ready for summer!

Below is the published schedule of Boater Safety Classes for the Allegan County area. Please visit the Marine Patrol site for details, or register for one classes below:

Article from the Holland Sentinel

Summer is weeks away, but the marine division supervisors for both Ottawa and Allegan counties’ sheriff’s offices are ready as the weather warms up.

While 90 percent of a marine patrol officer’s work happens between Memorial Day and Labor Day, “we try to stay as ready as possible to respond at any time of the year,” Allegan County Sheriff’s Sgt. Cory Hunt said. “We’ve already had some runs on the river this year,” recalling the Dec. 2 rescue of a 61-year-old Mattawan man “at a time when we’re not typically in the river. That guy turned out to be great — that could have been real tragic if we had not had some manpower to respond. He was lucky to get out of the river.”

What marine officers everywhere are hoping to see this season: More people exercising common sense and common courtesy.

Hunt and Ottawa County Sheriff’s Sgt. Cal Keuning said they also would like to see more people committed to using lifejackets and fewer people drinking alcohol while enjoying West Michigan’s water.

“If we could get those two things, we could decrease the amount and severity of incidents we have,” Hunt said. “If you fall in the lake and have a life jacket on, you’re more likely to survive. Nobody thinks it’s going to happen to them. Then it does, and they’re not prepared.”

The effects of alcohol on water-related accidents can be devastating — booze causes boat crashes more often than not and the resulting injuries are severe, Hunt said.

Keuning, who assumed the role of supervisor over Ottawa County’s marine division last month, is a certified diver as well as a paramedic. Already two of his unit’s seven boats are in the water.

Red flags, Keuning said, seem to be one of the most disregarded warnings on the beach.

While anyone boating or swimming should always be cautious around water, he said, a single red flag means conditions are dangerous — strong surf or currents are present and people should not tempt fate by jumping into the waves.

Last year, Ottawa officers rescued more than 20 people in one day who had ignored the red flag.

Hunt became a deputy 17 years ago and took over supervision of the Allegan County marine division in 2005. His duties are divided during the course of the year between overseeing the marine division during the busy summer months — when 17 part-time deputies help patrol 24 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline as well as inland waterways — and supervising the county’s SWAT officers and a traffic patrol.

The part-time deputies include retired officers, teachers and others who pay their bills with other types of work.

Hunt works with Allegan County Sgt. Todd Wagner, who supervises the sheriff department’s dive team.

Allegan County’s deputies use a fleet of five boats, ranging from a 28-foot motorboat, three smaller motor boats and a small skiff, canoes and kayaks for inland patrols and emergency response.

“I call them specialty type boats — they’re for shallow-water work,” Hunt said.

Ottawa County has seven boats from large craft, which patrol miles of Lake Michigan, to smaller boats, one of which is used on Spring Lake, Keuning said.

One of the most common corrections marine deputies make while on patrol, Keuning and Hunt said, is getting people to wear life jackets. At times, deputies will loan life jackets to boaters until they can get to shore safely.

Wearing a life jacket, as with wearing a seatbelt, “is not always going to save you, but it’s sure going to increase your chances,” Hunt said.