September 4 GRDA Weekly Update

September 5, 2018

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Changes Coming Soon

Preparing for New Alcohol Laws

Beginning October 1, low-point beer and beverages will no longer exist in Oklahoma. In fact, beginning this month wholesalers will no longer provide low-point beverages to retailers since there will no longer be an option to sell low-point beverages as they begin the transition to high-strength beer. The result of the passage of State Question 792 last year will mean major changes for many area businesses including grocery, convenience and ship stores that have in the past sold low-point beer to their customers.

If you are in such a position, you need to be asking yourself if you are ready for the changes. Effective October 1, all beverages containing alcohol will need to be licensed by the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement (ABLE) Commission. You will also see beer and wine that can be sold refrigerated by liquor stores and the new laws allow for the sale of high-point beverages of beer (up to 8.99% abv) or wine (up to 15% abv) to be sold by grocery stores, convenience stores, drug stores, supercenters, etc. Another major change is that any retailer that sells beer or alcoholic beverages to their customers will be required to have a liquor license and all personnel involved in the selling or serving of alcoholic beverages must be licensed by the ABLE Commission and receive ABLE approved training.

Other changes that are coming after October 1 include the hours of operation will change for liquor establishments to include on-premise locations that will be allowed to serve from 8 AM till 2 AM and hours for liquor stores will be from 8 AM till 12 midnight. Hours for grocery, convenience and other retailers will be from 6 AM till 2 AM for the legal sale of alcoholic beverages.

If you are a retailer of beverages, you should already be contacting the ABLE Commission to ensure your business liquor license is current and that you are in compliance with all of the new regulations. You will also need to ensure that your employees and managers that are responsible for serving or selling to your customers are properly licensed and trained, because there will be no “grace period” for establishments after the new laws go into effect on October 1. You can get more details on the new alcoholic beverage laws at the ABLE Commission website, https://www.ok.gov/able/.

Did You Know?

True or False: It’s okay if others drink when onboard, as long as there is one responsible safe boater onboard to safely handle the watercraft.

Answer: False. Over half of all boating-related drowning incidents involve the use of alcohol, and many times the injured person is not the skipper or designated safe boater. Practice safe boating at all times by restricting use of alcohol to everyone on board- not just a few people.

Bernice Bridge Incident Investigated

GRDA officers and Bernice Fire Department personnel searched the area using sonar, drag bars, deployed divers and canvassed the area. Officials continued the search throughout the morning, but nothing unusual was found. The investigation into this incident continues.

GRDA Police responded to the Highway 85A bridge over Horse Creek on Grand lake last Thursday shortly after 7 AM on a report of a possible missing person near the water. A fisherman was in a boat near the pedestrian walkway on the south side of the bridge when he reportedly saw a female standing on the walkway. The witness turned away momentarily and when he looked back towards the bridge, he did not see the female on the walkway and he feared she may have fallen or jumped in the lake, so he called police.

Adobt-The-Shoreline

Safety Education Programs

Police Respond to Weekend Drowning

GRDA Officer Hendricks, below, interviews several people involved in the rescue on Saturday.

GRDA Police are investigating the drowning of a 41 year old male that occurred on Saturday just north of the Stunkard Pubic Access area on the Illinois River. Officers were called to the area around 4:30 in the afternoon after a kayak occupied by male and female adults overturned, sending both individuals into the water. The female emerged from the water, but her male companion did not. She was able to summon help from other floaters, and the victim was located under the water after several minutes and pulled to shore.

A number of people stopped to render aid and administer CPR to the victim till officers arrived, and officers continued life support till EMS was on scene. The victim was subsequently taken to a Tulsa hospital where he died on Monday.

The victim was not wearing a life jacket when the incident occurred.

VHF-FM Radio

Potential Interference of VHF-FM Radio and AIS Reception

The U.S. Coast Guard has received reports from crews, ship owners, inspectors and other mariners regarding poor reception on VHF frequencies used for radiotelephone, digital selective calling (DSC) and automatic identification systems (AIS) when in the vicinity of light emitting diode (LED) lighting on-board ships (e.g., navigation lights, searchlights and floodlights, interior and exterior lights, adornment).

Radio frequency interference caused by these LED lamps were found to create potential safety hazards. For example, the maritime rescue coordination center in one port was unable to contact a ship involved in a traffic separation scheme incident by VHF radio. That ship also experienced very poor AIS reception. Other ships in different ports have experienced degradation of the VHF receivers, including AIS, caused by their LED navigation lights. LED lighting installed near VHF antennas has also shown to compound the reception.

Strong radio interference from LED sources may not be immediately evident to maritime radio users. Nonetheless, it may be possible to test for the presence of LED interference by using the following procedures:

1. Turn off LED light(s).

2. Tune the VHF radio to a quiet channel (e.g. Ch. 13).

3. Adjust the VHF radio’s squelch control until the radio outputs audio noise.

4. Re-adjust the VHF radio’s squelch control until the audio noise is quiet, only slightly above the noise threshold.

5. Turn on the LED light(s).

• If the radio now outputs audio noise, then the LED lights have raised the noise floor. (Noise floor is generally the amount of interfering signals / static received beyond the specific signal or channel being monitored.)

6. If the radio does not output audio noise, then the LED lights have not raised the noise floor. If the noise floor is found to have been raised, then it is likely that both shipboard VHF marine radio and AIS reception are being degraded by LED lighting.

In order to determine the full impact of this interference, the Coast Guard requests those experiencing this problem to report their experiences to Coast Guard Navigation Center. Select “Maritime Telecommunications” on the subject drop down list, then briefly describe the make and model of LED lighting and radios effected, distance from lighting to antennas and radios effected, and any other information that may help understand the scope of the problem.

Lake Rules

Life Jackets Save Lives

Updates on the Web

Did you not receive our latest GRDA Update? Do you have a friend that wants to see our Updates? You can now go to our website at GRDA.com to view the latest edition of GRDA Police Updates. Go to the Lakes/River tab, open the GRDA Police tab and click on the GRDA Police Update for the latest version of our email release.

Visit our website for GRDA Police Updates

Boating Tips From the GLSPS

When a power boat is moving, it will operate in one of three speed modes, displacement, semi-displacement and planing. In displacement speed, the boat will be almost level and easy to steer. As the speed increases into the semi-displacement mode, the boat will operate inefficiently with high resistance pushing water. The bow will have a high trim riding up the bow wave making a maximum wake. At this speed the boat is sluggish to steer and requires more power to counter the bow wave. The stern will tend to squat more which is not the best when in shallow water. In planing speed, the boat rides on top of the water at close to a level trim. The wake will decrease in size, the speed will increase and the boat responds quickly to small steering changes.

Interested in becoming more confident in your boating skills? Boat Smart from the start and take a course from America’s Boating Club, the United States Power Squadrons. For local information visit our website at: usps.org/grandlake or on Face Book at GLSPS.

NAV TIME

A Summary of Boating Laws, Navigation Regulations & Tips

That All Boat Operators Should Know

Marine Band Radios

For those that spend allot of time in their boats on the lakes, a VHF Marine Band radio may be a good investment to allow you to communicate with other vessels, friends and authorities. The most commonly used VHF channels on U.S. waters are:

Channel 6

Intership safety communications.

Channel 9

Communications between vessels (commercial and recreational), and ship to coast.

Channel 13

Navigational use by commercial, military, and recreational vessels at bridges, locks, and harbors.

Channel 16

Distress and safety calls to U.S. Coast Guard and others, and to initiate calls to other vessels. This channel is monitored by GRDA Police to allow you to directly communicate with the officers on the lakes.

Channel 22

Communications between the U.S. Coast Guard and the public. Severe weather warnings, hazards to navigation, and other safety warnings are broadcast on this channel.

Channels 24-28

Public telephone calls (to marine operator).

Channels 68, 69, and 71

Recreational vessel radio channels and ship to coast.

By the Book

The Administrative Regulations of GRDA describe the organizations, operations, and procedures for the Grand River Dam Authority with respect to its administration, rulemaking, and other activities and are intended to supplement and interpret pertinent provisions of state statutes.

The following information are excerpts of the GRDA Administrative Regulations Title 300 Chapter 35 that are provided in an effort to educate the public about what regulations are enforced on GRDA waterways and properties. Many of these regulations have changed effective September 11, 2017. All GRDA regulations are available for review at GRDA.com.

VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

300:35-27-8. General permits for natural disasters and other emergencies In the event a natural disaster or other emergency situation causes significant vegetation damage or debris accumulation within the project boundary to the extent that site specific permitting is impractical or would result in undue delay, the General Manager may issue a general vegetation permit governing all management activities within an affected area in lieu of requiring site specific permits. A general permit shall clearly identify the scope of allowed activities, the areas in which the permit is applicable, and the period of time for which the permit is valid.

SUBCHAPTER 29. SHORELINE MANAGEMENT PLANS

300:35-29-1. Enforcement of the Shoreline Management Plan Any and all activities occurring upon GRDA land encompassed within GRDA's federal hydropower licenses issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) shall be in accordance with the Shoreline Management Plan. A violation of the Shoreline Management Plan shall be subject to a fee, penalty or fine as authorized by statute.