CLAYTON, N.Y. -- Low water levels seem to be on a lot of people's minds as the boating season approaches. That's because boaters coming into the Thousand Islands help support the local economy. But marina owners like Edward Albro are skeptical about this upcoming season.
"Last season the season started out really good. We had fairly high water, but it started dropping, oh, end of July probably, and normally it doesn't start dropping until after Labor Day," said Albro, owner of Snug Harbor.
Albro said his docks lost about 33 inches of water last year, which also means a loss in business.
"When they pull their boats they're not buying gas, they aren't buying bait if they're fisherman you know, so it definitely hurts," said Albro.
So what about this year's season? Wilburt Wahl owns French Creek Marina and said he's counting on a little help from Mother Nature.
Could enough snowfall help raise low water levels in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River for this years boating season? Some marina owners in the Thousand Islands are counting on Mother Nature while others are looking to dredge.
As News 10 Now's Amy Ohler reports, some marina owners in the Thousand Islands are counting on Mother Nature while others are looking to dredge.
"Snowfall is going to have to be where the water comes from because Lake Superior is making all time lows, that is where a lot of our water comes from. It takes four years for the water from Lake Superior to get down here. So if we don't get the snowfall locally and get enough of a snow pack here, we can look forward to very low water for quite a while," said Wahl.
In preparation of this year's boating season many marinas throughout the Thousand Islands region tell us they are most likely is going to dredge around their marinas to ensure that they'll have business. But marina owners say even if they dredge, it might not be enough, as there can still be problems for boaters if the lake and channels are too low. So until the season starts, many are keeping their fingers crossed for more snow and hoping for a wet spring.
This year's boating season will start around the middle of April.