LINCOLN, Neb. – Due to high water, the United States Coast Guard has closed the Missouri River along Nebraska to recreational boat traffic until further notice.

“The closure is due to floodwaters that put recreational boaters at risk,” said Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Boating Law Administrator Herb Angell. “The wash and wake caused by motorboats could cause additional damage to already flooded properties. Fast, deep water, loaded with debris has created a danger to boaters and public safety.”

The river is flooding in many places because of increased discharges at Gavins Point Dam. Exceptional rainfall in Montana and the spring runoff has filled the reservoirs upstream from Gavins Point, causing the need for increased discharges.

Boaters on the lower Platte River also should use caution, and Game and Parks recommends that air-boaters stay off that portion of the river.