State Wants to Prove Lake Cumberland is Ready for Tourists

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Officials Want to Show Lake is Ready for Tourists

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View our Interactive Map of the Wolf Creek Dam

With Memorial Day coming up fast, folks who make much of their money from tourists at Lake Cumberland are holding their breaths. They're worried tourists think there's not enough water for boaters this summer. But Monday, the state wanted to prove that's not the case, by giving members of the media a cruise on the water.

Lake Cumberland is 43 feet lower than usual. And it looks somehow different, with more shores and palisades exposed. This is the start of the high season for businesses around here, and some fear the drop in the lake will translate into a drop in their income.

Monday's excursion was designed to dispell what Kentucky tourism leaders call misleading advertising by other states, most notably Arkansas. They wanted to show there's still lots of water in the lake, and more ramps will be ready by Memorial Day weekend to get boats into the water.

The water level was lowered to allow repairs to leaky Wolf Creek Dam. Officials don't have plans to drop the water level more.