NORTHAMPTON — After being closed for several weeks due to high water, heavy rains and unsafe conditions, six of the seven state boat ramps for the Connecticut River, including access points in Easthampton, Hatfield and Sunderland, have reopened to the public.

The state Department of Fish and Game announced Monday the reopenings of the boat ramps. In Hampshire County, those are the Oxbow Ramp on Route 5 in Easthampton, which last month had been underwater, and the ramp off Main Street in Hatfield. In southern Franklin County, the Sunderland ramp, located at the end of School Street, also reopened.

“The Connecticut River is a fantastic natural and recreational resource, and we are happy that recreational boaters, anglers, and others can get back on the water during the height of the fishing and boating season,” Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Tom O’Shea said in a statement. “Providing safe and equitable public access is a priority for us. We remind boaters to be especially careful on the Connecticut River as the recent flooding has considerably changed the conditions of the river.”

The Fish and Game department’s Office of Fishing and Boating Access partners with the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation and local communities to oversee two ramps in Chicopee, as well as ramps in Gill and Northfield, though the Northfield site is the lone location remaining closed until more cleanup of sediment and debris is done.

Private marinas, too, are getting their boat ramps reopened.

At Brunelle’s Marina in South Hadley, the Facebook page was updated on Thursday to inform boaters that the four-lane ramp was back open, though also reminding people to use caution: “The river still has a strong current and debris.”

“Our ramp is open, and people are able to launch their boats,” said Madeleine and Tiffany Brunelle, the sisters who oversee operations.

In addition, they noted a lot of progress has been made on replacing the destroyed docks, with an engineer and contractor on site.

At Sportsman’s Marina in Hadley, located on the south side of the Coolidge Bridge, owner Gary Pelissier said Monday that the ramp, which can accommodate two boats at a time, opened over the weekend. The rebuilding of the docks, though, heavily damaged during the storms and from high water, remains a work in progress.

The state boat ramp closures, coming on July 12, were prompted by hazards in the river, including trash and other debris, trees, docks, submerged vessels, rocks, and sand bars, said Massachusetts Environmental Police Colonel Shaun Santos. Even with the reopening, those hazards likely still exist.

“While the boating access facilities are now safe to reopen, we still advise mariners to be extremely cautious on the water, as there are also significant changes to channels, landmarks, river currents, and bank erosion,” Santos said.

Massachusetts Environmental Police also is advising those on the water of significant changes to channels, landmarks, ramps and marinas, and that boaters should use extreme caution and safe operational speeds while relearning the navigable waters of the Connecticut River.

One of the areas cited to use particular caution when navigating around is the Norwottuck Rail Trail Bridge, the converted railroad bridge that passes between Northampton and Hadley. That is because of the strong currents and large amounts of debris collected at the base of the bridge.

With plenty of warm and sunny weather likely remaining this summer, including this past weekend, Environmental Police and other members of the Connecticut River Task Force, made up of state police, local police, and the Coast Guard, will be on the river to enforce boating safety rules.

The Office of Fishing and Boating Access, which manages more than 300 boat ramps across the state and other access points, such as sport-fishing piers, removed trees and other obstructions from all the boat ramp sites and temporarily stockpiled sediment in parking areas, where erosion control barriers were put in place. The sediment at these locations will need to be tested for contaminants before being disposed off site.

Cleanup couldn’t be done until the end of July and early August due to the continued high water at the boat ramps, said Office of Fishing and Boating Access Director Doug Cameron.

“The flooding of the river brought significant sediment buildup, downed trees, and other debris to the boat ramps and parking lots,” Cameron said.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.]]>