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The stranded Ohio River camper is no longer visible from downtown Evansville. The camper was not rescued by its owner, or by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The rising water on Friday washed out the sand beneath it, and it toppled slowly onto its side and disappeared overnight.
The Ohio at Evansville was at a depth of 19.4 feet as of Saturday morning, up from 14 feet last week when the large sandbar hosted boaters and the apparent stunt that could result in fines or jail time for its owner.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON:
The week-long saga of a camper placed on a sandbar in the middle of the Ohio River is coming to a watery close.
The camper, a picnic table and a generator were hauled -- apparently as a stunt -- to the sandbar on July 20 while the river was extremely low.
Since then, runoff from heavy rains in Evansville and upstream is flowing into the river.
Now the Ohio is rising steadily and the camper is taking on water. At 6 am Friday, the river level at Evansville was 16.3 feet. By 4 pm it was up to 17.9 feet, with a forecast of 23 feet by Monday.
The U.S. Coast Guard found out Wednesday who owns the camper, and notified them that leaving it in the river is a violation of federal navigation laws, subject to fines or jail time. They were instructed to move the camper, but there have only been curious onlookers in boats around the disappearing sandbar today.
The Army Corps of Engineers will also have to deal with the camper, whether it becomes submerged in place or if the river currents move it downstream.
Drone video of the stranded camper Friday was taken by EvansvilleWatch, and is linked below.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A local mystery is about to conclude -- one way or another -- in downtown Evansville.
The Ohio River has been at very low levels recently, and dredging operations formed sandbars in the middle of the river.
Somehow last week, someone hauled a camper, picnic table and generator out to one of the sandbars.
It's been a curiosity among local boaters who gather at the sandbar for an afternoon in the sun. But the party is almost over.
With recent rains upstream, the Ohio is rising, and the once-spacious sandbar is rapidly disappearing. The camper will be in danger of becoming submerged or floating away, and possibly causing a hazard for river barges and boats.
The Coast Guard and the Army Corp of Engineers have been trying to locate the owner of the camper. The Coast Guard said putting the camper out there was a violation of navigation laws.
The latest river level forecast for Evansville says that the Ohio will rise more than seven feet between now and next Tuesday.
(Photo: Screen capture from drone footage by EvansvilleWatch, with permission)
On the Net:
Drone footage Friday of stranded camper
