Allegheny River warning signs and buoys could be pulled next week
Anyone taking advantage of the lingering summer-like weather with activities on the Allegheny River should be extra vigilant since
warning signs and pillar buoys could start being removed beginning Oct. 23.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers removes small boat warning signs each fall from the Pittsburgh District’s 23 navigation facilities along the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers.
“That date is a guidepoint,” Corps spokesperson Carol Vernon said.
“The actual removal is predicated on river conditions and weather.”
If the mild weather remains, the signs will too.
“Our priority is the safety of people using the river,” Vernon said.
The Corps will alert the public when removal of signs begins.
Susan Crookston, whose company maintains Aspinwall Riverfront Park , said the dock there has about 30 slips for rent and people usually pull their boats by mid-October but it is open year-round to the public for non-motorized boats.
She advised boaters to take extra precautions while approaching the locks especially now that the buoys will be gone.
“We strongly recommend that people paddle upstream away from the dam and be aware of the barges and other motorized boats that may find them difficult to see,” she said.
Crookston said she was advised by the Army Corps and Venture Outdoors for safety reasons to not allow a public access point for motorized boats.
“While people with their own kayaks, row boats and canoes can come and use our ramp any time, most of these non-motorized boaters don’t get going until Memorial Day when the weather is warming and most are done around Labor Day when the weather is getting cooler,” she said.
Tawnya Panizzi is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. Reach her at 412-782-2121, ext. 2, tpanizzi@tribweb.com or @tawnyatrib.
