High Lake Levels Starting To Recede

High water has been causing headaches for businesses along Keystone Lake this summer. But lake levels are finally beginning to recede. The News On 6's Chris Wright reports those businesses are hoping to salvage the rest of the season.

Business owners say their run of bad luck comes with working on a flood control lake, but things are starting to look up as the water finally starts to come down.

The boats are back at Keyport Marina. After another season of way above-average rainfall, and ever-rising lake levels, Ronnie Tucker was forced to shut down the marina for several weeks last month.

"Not a lot we can do about it just pray that Mother Nature is a little bit nicer," said Ronnie Tucker of Keyport Marina.

Mother Nature has obliged of late. Levels at Keystone have dipped from 22 feet above normal last week to just over eight feet this week.

Lake levels are finally beginning to drop out here at Keystone.  You can still see all these watermarks in this area of the lake, which, until recently, was still underwater.

Business owners who rely on the summer crowd, like bait shop owner Rita Bougher, hope that will translate to more customers. She says that so far this summer, she has not been ringing up enough people at her cash register.

"It's been a struggle with the water being high, people not coming camping, and different events not being able to go on," said Rita Bougher of NDN Hunting & Fishing.

Because Keystone is a flood-control lake, the Army Corps of Engineers says they are sympathetic, but there's little they can do.

"The corp understands the plight.  It does really have a detrimental economic impact on all the folks who depend on the lakes for a living," said Kent Dunlap of the Army Corp of Engineers.

The Corps estimates that if we don't get any more rain, levels could get back to normal by the beginning of August. So Ronnie Tucker, for one, hopes that July remains sunny.

"Gorgeous weather today.  We could have this weather year round in the marina business and it wouldn't hurt us a bit," said Tucker.

This is the second year in a row heavy rains have hurt business on Keystone. Business owners recently met with the Army Corps of Engineers, and local politicians, to brainstorm about what, if anything can be done to avoid these problems in the future.