Continuous rainfall results in lake closure, power outages Monday

CHEROKEE COUNTY – The City of Jacksonville issued a notice late Monday afternoon that Lake Jacksonville is closed to all watercraft use, due to excessive amounts of rainfall in a short amount of time.

The precautionary measure will help “protect the homes over the lake from any water damage from boat waves,” according to the notice. “Once the rain stops, run-off will continue to cause the lake to rise.”

Lake levels are being monitored to determine when the lake will reopen to boats and other watercraft, the notice stated.

Elsewhere in the county, ONCOR has reported 23 customers without power through the early part of the evening, with power restoration projected for 5:30 p.m. for residents in Tecula and Turney, and 6 p.m. for those living outside Troup.

According to www.poweroutage.us, neither Cherokee County ECA nor Houston County Electric Cooperative, which also serves the local county, have reported outages as of 4:30 p.m. Monday.

Law enforcement officials remind motorists to use precaution and to be mindful of areas known to flood during heavy rainfall.