Whitewater rafting season extended in Kentucky

PIKE COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) – Whitewater rafters in Kentucky will get more time on the water.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced the whitewater rafting season will be extended by two weeks at the Breaks Interstate Park, which includes Kentucky’s eastern-most point in Pike County, as well as Virginia and West Virginia.

Officials say water releases scheduled each fall from John W. Flannagan Dam & Reservoir help create ideal water conditions for rafters and kayakers who travel from around the world to tackle the rapids of the Russell Fork River.

The Army Corps, however, limited these water releases to only four weekends in October as part of an initial pilot experiment to determine whether it will allow for more water releases in the future.

The Army Corps has scheduled weekend releases at the Flannagan Dam during the first four weeks in October and will conduct two additional “test” releases on the first two weekends of November 2018.