Beaches at Indiana lake partly underwater ahead of holiday

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - Officials say beaches at a lake in Indiana are partially underwater ahead of the Memorial Day weekend because of water released from a dam.

The (Bloomington) Herald-Times reports (http://bit.ly/2rOtrr6 ) high water affects the Fairfax or Paynetown beaches at Lake Monroe.

Dave Cable, operations manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Lake Monroe, says flooding this time of year is normal. He says as of Monday the lake was about 7 feet above the usual level.

The Army Corps will be draining the dam a third of a foot each day. If no more significant rain hits the area it will take about a month to release. Boats still can be launched into the lake from ramps, but the water levels are expected to keep beachgoers away this weekend.

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Information from: The Herald Times, http://www.heraldtimesonline.com