CAYUGA COUNTY - WSYR-TV - Deputies in Cayuga and Onondaga Counties are telling boaters to exercise caution on waterways due to record rains and recent flooding.

Debris like logs and other vegetationmay have been washed into lakes and rivers, sometimes floating below the surface.

If people are going 20 or 30 mph, they're not going to see a log floating in the lake, said Dep. Tracey Baldwin, with the Cayuga County Sheriffs Marine Patrol.

For the past two days, Cayuga Countys Marine Patrol has been scanning the surface to catch those logs before they catch a boater off guard.

"A large boat is going to damage their prop, a smaller boat, it could actually throw everybody out into the water, which is obviously something we don't want to see, Baldwin said.

It's a problem on Owasco Lake and across Central New York after flash floods carried trees and debris into busy waterways. Its the same story for patrols on Skaneateles Lake and boaters spotted piles of logs right in the middle of Otisco Lake.

With the water levels so high, jet skis and small boats are creating waves that make their way to the shore and the small boats docked there break free and end up floating out into the middle of the lake.

Docks and moorings might not be visible below the water surface, and debris can damage a boat if hit.

Those out on the water should be mindful of their wakes and use extreme caution when navigating until conditions improve.

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Deputies: Boaters in Cayuga County told to excercise caution on - WSYR