BIRDSEYE, Ind. (AP) _ Indiana's unusually wet summer has closed a popular southern Indiana beach, likely for the rest of the summer.
The beach at Patoka Lake's Newton Stewart State Recreation Area remains closed because the reservoir currently stands about 10 feet above its normal summer pool level.
Park Lake interpretive naturalist Dana Reckelhoff tells The Herald-Times that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can release only a small amount water from the lake because there are farm fields downstream of its dam.
She says the beach will likely remain closed for the rest of the summer.
The lake's Osborn Boat Ramp fishing pier is inaccessible due to high waters. But the rest of the lake remains open, including all campsites, shelters and other reservable facilities.
