Impact of Changing Water-Levels on Lake Ontario
and St. Lawrence River Marinas and Yacht Clubs

By
Nancy A. Connelly, Krista M. Guerrero, and Tommy L. Brown

Introduction

The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Study is working to develop recommendations for new criteria for the management of outflows from Lake Ontario through the St. Lawrence River. They are seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders including marina and yacht club interests. To gather input and assess the economic impacts of changing water levels on marinas and yacht clubs, Cornell University's Human Dimensions Research Unit (HDRU) conducted a study of all marinas and yacht clubs in operation along New York's Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River coastline during the summer of 2002. Results of the inventory work have been reported previously (Connelly et al. 2002); therefore, this fact sheet will focus on impacts of both high and low water conditions on marina and yacht club operations.

Methods

We attempted to identify all marinas and yacht clubs in operation during the summer of 2002 and to interview their owners or managers regarding impacts of changing water levels. We used a 1997 inventory conducted by New York Sea Grant and subsequently updated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a base list, then added operations observed by field staff. All marinas and yacht clubs fitting the following definition were included in the inventory:

• The business must have ten or more slips for rent, either seasonally or overnight.
• The business must be accessible by the public (e.g., not a communal dock shared by neighboring residents).

Personal interviews with marina and yacht club operators were conducted by field staff between May and August, 2002. During the interview, operators were asked about impacts to their business from both high and low water conditions. If marinas were impacted, we inquired about the type of impact, if any steps were taken to mitigate the impact, the cost of those actions, and if any revenue was lost.

Results

We identified 168 marinas and yacht clubs in operation along the Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River shoreline during the 2002 boating season. We completed personal interviews with 159 of the 168 marinas and yacht clubs (95% of total). Three marinas refused to be interviewed and the operators of six were not available for interviewing.

Marina and Yacht Club Characteristics

We found 112 marinas along Lake Ontario, 54 along the St. Lawrence River, and two, whose boats primarily used the lake, at the mouth of the Niagara River. For the marinas that we interviewed, 107 were open seasonally, while 52 were open year-round. The most common dates of operation for seasonal marinas were April 1st through October 15th. The average length of ownership was 17 years.

The marinas and yacht clubs we interviewed had 10,648 seasonal slips or moorings for rent and 1,366 transient slips. Lake Ontario marinas had 7,257 seasonal slips or moorings and 665 transient slips, while the St. Lawrence River had 3,165 seasonal slips or moorings and 691 transient slips. The marinas at the mouth of the Niagara River had 226 seasonal slips or moorings and 10 transient rentals. The average size of a marina in Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence, and the Niagara Rivers was 76, 73, and 118 berths, respectively. Overall, the average size of a marina in our study area was 76 berths. Half of the marinas had less than 60 berths, which we classified as small marinas. Those with 60 or more berths were classified as large marinas.

High Water Impacts

Of the marinas and yacht clubs interviewed, 31 of the 159 (20%) reported having problems with high water either in the spring of 2002 or in April 1998 when water levels were at their highest in the past five years. A slightly higher percentage of businesses reported problems on Lake Ontario (22%) than on the St. Lawrence River (16%). Of the two high water events, more businesses were adversely affected by the high water occurrence in 1998 (18%) than the one in 2002 (11%).

The most common type of impact on marinas with damage from high water conditions was dock damage (71%), followed by property damage (29%), and other miscellaneous impacts such as lack of fish, closed locks, and lack of clearance under bridges (16%). A majority of impacted marinas (65%) indicated they took some type of action to mitigate the problem. The two most common actions taken were repairing docks and reinforcing the perimeter. Marina operators spent a total of $26,000 in 2002 on these actions. They spent a total in 1998 of $129,600 (in 2002 constant dollars) when water levels were higher. This estimate is perhaps a bit conservative because operators only reported their most recent action. Thus, operators who reported an action in 2002 might have also taken an action in 1998 that is not included in our estimate.

Of the few marinas impacted by high water in 2002, half indicated they had lost revenue due to the high water conditions. They estimated a total loss of approximately $162,000 in 2002. (Not all operators could estimate the amount lost; this estimate is an expansion from those who provided an estimate to the total number of operators who lost revenue.)

Low Water Impacts

Most marinas (82%) reported problems with low water either in the fall of 2001 when water levels were below average or in the fall of 1999 when water levels were at their lowest in the past five years. Slightly more marinas were affected on Lake Ontario (84%) than on the St. Lawrence River (77%). Also, 85% of larger marinas (60 or more berths) were affected compared to 78% of smaller marinas. The 1999 low water event affected almost all of the marinas that reported problems (96%). The low water event in 2001 affected slightly fewer businesses (92%). A larger percentage of Lake Ontario businesses were affected in 1999; whereas a larger percentage of St. Lawrence River businesses were affected in 2001.

Marinas indicated a variety of adverse impacts from low water levels, primary among them the loss of slips midseason (Table 1). Boats had to be moved, which sometimes took up transient spaces within the marina. In some situations, boats had to be moved to other marinas, also resulting in loss of revenue. Some marinas lost revenue because of loss of sales of services, such as gas, food, and lodging. Smaller marinas (<60 berths) were more likely to lose slips midseason or never have customers arrive; larger marinas were more likely to be unable to use certain equipment due to low water levels (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. Primary impacts on marinas and yacht clubs that were affected by low water levels by operation size.

Over half (54%) of the businesses that were impacted took some form of action to mitigate the problems caused by low water levels. Larger marinas (60 or more berths) were more likely to have taken action in 2001; 59% of those who took action did so in 2001. Smaller marinas were more likely to have taken action in 1999 (68%), perhaps precluding their need to take action again in 2001. Over half of the marinas that took action engaged in some type of dredging (Table 2). Approximately, one third repaired or built docks to accommodate low water level conditions. A few removed weeds, modified their launching equipment, or tried to move rock obstructions. Larger marinas were more likely to have dredged (63%), while smaller marinas were more likely to have repaired or built docks (53%). In 2001, marina operators spent a total of $538,500 (in 2002 constant dollars) on these actions. They spent slightly more in 1999 ($683,000 [in 2002 constant dollars]) when water levels were lower. This estimate is perhaps a bit conservative because operators only reported their most recent action. Thus, operators who reported an action in 2001 might have also taken an action in 1999 that is not included in our estimate.

Most of the marinas (78%) impacted by low water in 2001 indicated they had lost revenue due to the low water conditions. Lake Ontario marinas (80%) and smaller marinas (83%) were slightly more likely to indicate they lost revenue in 2001. The average revenue lost per marina impacted was $15,000. The total estimated loss of revenue in 2001 was approximately $1,396,000 (in constant 2002 dollars). (Not all operators could estimate the amount lost; this estimate is an expansion from those who provided an estimate to the total number of operators who lost revenue.)

Conclusions and Implications

Based on the water levels of the past five years, marinas and yacht clubs in the Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River area clearly were more heavily impacted by low water levels than high water levels. A larger number of businesses were impacted, a larger number took action and/or lost revenue, and the economic losses were greater. This information will come as no surprise to marina and yacht club operators. Its usefulness comes in the documentation of the number of businesses impacted and the economic loss. The data gathered from the marina and yacht club interviews will be used in models developed for the Study to predict the economic impact of changing water levels on marinas and yacht clubs. A boater survey, also conducted by HDRU for the Study, will shed further light on the impacts as water levels change to boaters and various businesses, including marinas, that they frequent.

Source

New York State inventory of Great Lakes' marinas and yacht clubs - 2002. HDRU Publ. No. 02-4. Department of Natural Resources, N.Y.S. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, N.Y. 30pp.

Acknowledgements

The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Study sponsored this survey of marina and yacht club operators. This survey was administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District Office. Jon Brown was the contact person with the Army Corps. Funding was administered through USGS Cooperative Agreement #143-HQ-97-RU-01553.

We would like to thank our dedicated field interviewers - Meg Faville and Karlene Smith, and an intern from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Doug Gorecki, who assisted us for part of the summer. Also, we appreciate the cooperation shown by marina and yacht club operators who took time from their busy summer schedules to talk with us.