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Buoy Program
The marker buoys have been removed
effective 13, 14 Oct 2023
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If you are boating in late autumn or early spring
before the buoys are once more deployed (mid-May 2024),
make sure to stay away from shoals by consulting your buoy map
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Many thanks to our hard-working volunteer crew:
Brian Smith, John Reed, Peter Kleinbeernink,
John Kenny, Rob Donald, and André Langlois
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Safe Boating
​REPORT a DRIFTING or LOST buoy - please let us know so we can retrieve it and/or replace it, for everybody's safety!
About the Program
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To help boaters avoid underwater obstacles, the Mississippi Lakes Association deploys approximately 50 yellow marker buoys on KNOWN OBSTACLES in the lake, to the extent that it has the capacity and resources to do so.
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The MLA does not mark any obstacles in the channel to Innisville, or in the Carleton Place channel downstream of the Lake Avenue Boat Launch.
We deploy these buoys from mid-May to mid-Oct each year. Over the winter the buoys and their anchors are stored safely on shore where they are protected from the lake ice.
Justin Falcone is checking an exact buoy location
The Buoys
The MLA first deployed buoys on the lake in the 1970's, using rudimentary homemade floats and anchors, which nevertheless proved highly effective. Over the years, better equipment and adequate funding became available and a switch was made to more durable and visible buoys.
The YELLOW buoys are manufactured by Go Deep International, a firm based in New Brunswick. These CAUTIONARY buoys are approved for use by private groups to mark various obstacles in the water. Each buoy has a label identifying it as an MLA float, with our address and email coordinates.
If you should find one of our floats adrift on the lake, or washed up on a shore, please contact us at boating@mlakes.org. We will gratefully retrieve it and prepare it for re-deployment.
Numbers: 49 Yellow CAUTIONARY buoys
Deployed: Mid-late May; depends on water levels
Recovered: late September or early October
Cost: ~ $50 per buoy set:
(float, chain, anchor), plus
annual refurbishment costs
Workforce: all-volunteer team
Promoting Safety on the Water
The Mississippi Lakes Association welcomes all visitors to Mississippi Lake in the hope that they will enjoy all of its natural beauty and recreational opportunities. In that spirit, the MLA's yellow CAUTIONARY marker buoys are deployed to assist boaters who might not be familiar with the region. We are also dedicatd to the safety of all boaters, whether visiting from afar for the day, or long-time residents and seasoned boaters on the lake.
The locations of MLA buoys, relative to obstacles, are approximate. During the season, the buoys sometimes shift a little with the wave action and wind. On rare occasions, buoys have actually broken free from their anchors. We recommended that boaters give the marker buoys a wide berth of at least 30m/100ft, and never drive between two markers that are less than 100m/300ft apart. It is also recommended that all boaters exercise caution, until familiar with the lake's geography - and then of course, continue to exercise caution and courtesy at all times on the water.
Dave Duncan deploying a buoy
The MLA reminds all watercraft operators to travel dead-slow, with no wake, within 30m/100ft of shore, for their own safety, for protection of waterfowl nesting areas and out of respect for shoreline residents. Travelling close to shore merits the same respect and caution that one would use when traveling through any residential neighborhood.
Buoy Watch Program
The MLA has volunteer "buoy spotters" during the season to help ensure the buoys stay fairly close to their proper positions. If you would like to participate in the MLA Buoy Spotting Program, please contact the MLA. We would be very pleased to add you to our team.
​Thank You, and enjoy the lake!