Jun 4, 2009 10:54 pm US/Central
No Rain Makes It Interesting For Boaters, Business
LAKE MINNETONKA, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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With the water level on Lake Minnetonka about 18 inches below average, boat repairs to things like damaged props are up. At Tonka Bay Marina repairs are up nearly 20 percent because boaters are hitting rock bars they never knew were there.
CBS
On Lake Minnetonka this spring, Mother Nature has given boaters a lot of sun and a lot of wind.
"I would say it seems about three out of five days we've had pretty heavy winds -- 15 to 20 mile an hour winds," said Skipp LaJoy of Tonka Bay Marina.
Despite the sun and wind there has been almost no rain. That formula mixed together has created a condition that some long-time boaters have rarely seen.
"I actually have lived on the lake my whole life and I don't recall a spring being this low. I can remember summer in '86 and '87 when the lake levels got low through the summer. This is pretty low to start out for this season," said LaJoy.
With the water level on Lake Minnetonka about 18 inches below average, boat repairs to things like damaged props are up. At Tonka Bay Marina repairs are up nearly 20 percent because boaters are hitting rock bars they never knew were there.
But that doesn't necessarily mean there are more boaters on the lake. At the marina's three locations, more than 25 boats still remain in storage as their owners wait for the lake level to increase. In some cases they sit idle because of money.
Across the metro at White Bear Lake, the story is more extreme.
"Right now White Bear is less than one foot from its lowest it's ever been back in 1991," said Jason Brown of White Bear Boat Works.
That has created a lot of extra real estate on Ramsey County Beach. A receding water line also means no swimming on the beach because of drop-offs.
The low levels are not enough to stop all lake enthusiasts, they just have to use a little more caution than previous years.
"The lake levels are definitely lower than what they have been the past couple years. You still have to be careful on the water. A good mapping system is important," said angler Jack Naylor.
State climatologists said if the wind backs off and the rains roll in, lakes could be just a couple of good rainfalls away from getting back to average. Then again, a prolonged dry spell could be problematic.
"If we don't get rain I would say within the next week or so we could certainly lose a lot more water off of the surface, evaporation probably another few inches," said LaJoy.
Despite slower traffic on some area lakes, Tonka Bay Marina and other businesses said the sunny weather made for their best Memorial Day weekend in years. LaJoy said evening boat traffic has been up in recent days.
Several boat dealers are reporting a drop in new boat sales, but an increase in used boat sales. David Briggs, owner of Wayzata Marine on Lake Minnetonka, said his business is having a record year for used boat sales.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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