As summer winds down and temperatures start dropping, so do water levels at Lucky Peak Reservoir as part of the annual drawdown process.The drawdown started about a week earlier than usual this year, lowering water levels by rou ghly a foot and a half each day as water is released to meet irrigation demands across the Treasure Valley.The docks at Lucky Peak were busy Monday as boaters tried to sneak in one more late summer day on the water.This is it, after this were packing it up, said Donald Mahoney. WATCH | Hear from boaters and the Army Corps of Engineers as water levels start to drop Boaters squeeze in final late summer trips as Lucky Peak drawdown begins earlyOthers said they hope to get in a few more trips before ramps begin closing.Were probably gonna try and get out here as much as we can before it gets too low, said Zach Dickinson.Just trying to get out before everything closes up and enjoy one of the best resources we have here, said Ian Faulkner.Mahoney said his family has been keeping an eye on water levels as the season winds down.Well, this is our favorite place to go whenever we take the boat out anyway, and we knew the water was gonna be drawn down, so we thought wed get out here one last time, Mahoney said.Although its a week early, its still much better than what it could have been, said Chris Silbernagel, Lucky Peak Operations Project Manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.Silbernagel explained conditions this summer turned out better than expected despite concerns over poor snowpack levels.We had a lot of rain instead of snow this last year. There was a lot of concern of drought and not having a full allocation. Luckily, we met that water allocation, but it came in a form of rain instead of snowpack so we were full quicker, he added.Now, Lucky Peak is releasing water into canals to help meet the valleys irrigation needs.As water levels continue to fall, Silbernagel urged boaters to take precautions and avoid situations where boats could become stranded.Be very cognizant if youre gonna stay overnight. Youll likely want to probably rethink that, especially in the boat-in sites because you might wake up with your boat beached the next morning, Silbernagel said.The short ramps at Barclay Bay are already closed for the season along with the Robie ramp.The long ramp at Barclay Bay is expected to close by the end of the week as water levels continue to drop.Turner Gulch boat ramp is currently closed for maintenance until 7 am on Wednesday, August 19th. After that, the Turner Gulch ramp will be open all year long allowing for winter access to the water.The most recent updates on ramp closures are available on the Lucky Peak Facebook page.This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. ...read more read less