High River Levels Not Helping Boating Businesses

 Originally broadcast on KCAU Channel 9 (Sioux City, IA) on May 16, 2011
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The high water level on the Missouri River is causing problems for some local businesses.

With all of this beautiful weather its finally boating season but on the contrary it's also flooding season where all the rivers in our area are above average which isn't savvy for some boating businesses.

Boating season is finally here for most of us. But for the Missouri River Boat Club the docks are still ashore and the boats are dry.



"We were scheduled to put docks in this weekend but the way things are we have pushed things back till June 11th so we're roughly a month behind what we would normally be in," says Russell Hodges President of Missouri River Boat Club.

The Boat Club sits along the Big Sioux River which is usually shallow.

But during the past few it has been uncharacteristically high.

"The water is so high that the way they would normally anchor their docks in position, they can't do that. And last year with the height water a big tree came down and tore their docks loose," tells Bill Tilton with the Sioux City Coast Guard Auxiliary.

The Big Sioux River drains into the Missouri River but since the Mighty Mo is so high, water is backing up into the Big Sioux forming a giant pool of stagnant water.

"There is a lake here so if we can get the big Sioux to dump everything out into the Missouri and then it would come up that wouldn't be to terrible but right now its not working that way," tells Hodges.

River levels are only expected to rise over the next couple of weeks which means people who want to dock their boats along the Big Sioux are going to have to wait a little bit longer and their boats are going to have to stay dry on shore.

While businesses along the Big Sioux are being hit hard by the rising water it's a different story along the Missouri.

Bevs on the River's marina has had a slow start to the season but the only reason why is because of the weather.

The docks are usually full by mid April but cold weather slowed the start of boating season.

Currently the water in the Missouri River is at the 12th highest level ever recorded.

But the high river levels are actually doing some good for boaters.

"The high river really doesn't hurt us at all because the navigation is easier with the sandbars covered and there are more people out so this 90 degree weather is really starting to bring people in groves," quotes Michael O'Brien with Bevs on the River.

Bev's says the main reason why they don't have to worry about the rising water levels is because their docks float and adjust to the fluctuating depths.