The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is repairing and replacing four ramps that serve Reelfoot Lake.

The ramps under repair are at the Airpark, Gray’s Camp community (called Badger’s Ramp locally), Champey Pocket and Kirby Pocket.

“We hope to have them all done by duck season in November,” said Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission member Mike Hayes.

The Air Park Ramp and the Gray's Camp area Ramp is now open and ready to be used. This week and next week, the TWRA will be concentrating on repairing the final two ramps at Champy's Pocket and Kirby Pocket.

Large sections of concrete containing steel re-enforcement rebar are fabricated above water and then shoved off into a prepared spot on the boat ramp.

The construction is being done by a TWRA work crew.

Two of the ramps, Kirby Pocket and the Airpark, are actually in State Park jurisdiction, but the two state agencies were able to work out the repairs.

“We had to jump through some hoops to get it done with two of them being state park ramps, but everyone really worked well together,” said Hayes. “It is something that has been needed to be done for a long time.”

In another area, Hayes said the Agency has received funding for a new 75 horsepower pump to replace the one near SR 78 on the Black Bayou unit near New Markham. “We also will have the pipe to pipe the water farther back onto the refuge and that should help.

“The crops on Black Bayou, corn and Japanese millet, look very good this year.”