The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Coast Guard have decided to lift a motorboat ban on the Chain o’ Lakes in northern McHenry and Lake Counties, a sign that near-flooding conditions on the lakes are easing faster than officials had anticipated.
The ban, which went into effect June 2, was to be lifted at 6 a.m. on Saturday, according to the Fox Waterway Agency.
A no-wake restriction on the Chain o’ Lakes was expected to remain in effect for at least a few more days, as was a ban on motorboats on the Fox River below the Stratton Lock and Dam in McHenry.
Officials had implemented the motorboat ban after heavy rains in southern Wisconsin moved down the Fox River into the lakes, which had crept up their banks toward homes and businesses.
