Low water levels in Minnesota lead to more damaged boats
MINNEAPOLIS -- You may have noticed water levels on Minnesota's lakes and rivers are getting low again.
It's the third-straight summer that a lack of rainfall has contributed to shallower bodies of water, and that's led to more damaged boats and property.
There are parts of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis where you really have to watch what's beneath the water because it is shallow in some spots. It's a challenge for boaters, and it's created yet another busy summer for one Twin Cities business.
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Samuel Danielson is with a company called Lake Restoration. They go from lake to lake, treating them for algae and invasive plants.
But he's starting to notice that all the lakes they've been visiting have something in common.
"People are having to rev their motors to get their boats on the trailers and such," Danielson said. "We've had lakes where I'm literally having to bring this motor up off the bottom when I'm putting it in the water because the prop is stirring up the bottom, whether I'd either be hitting rocks or just getting it muck and stuff."
What he's describing is a common scenario that's led to an uptick in business for Prop MD in Plymouth.
"The larger piece damage like this, you're risking blowing up your whole engine," said Prop MD operations manager Brenton Jayasuriya.
The company repairs about 6,000 boat propellers a year. Three straight years of low water levels mean they're doing everything they can just to keep up.
"In a typical year with water heights where they should be, people are skimming across the surface of these rocks. But with the low water, they are hitting the face of them," Jayasuriya said.
"We're trying to get to the one- to two-week range. But right now it's like four-ish weeks for turnaround on a repair," said Prop MD owner Jesse Pettit.
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Pettit says much of the damage is coming from boat launches where water has receded. He thinks another factor is inexperience. There was an increase in boat sales during the pandemic, and new drivers may not be familiar with their surroundings.
"People have these boats, they like to go to different lakes, you know, let's try out this lake, let's try out that lake, and they might just be not familiar with it, and ding them up," he said. "We've got hundreds, hundreds of props just from boat launches."
Pettit believes business is up 20% from last year. Fixing a damaged prop can cost up to $200 depending on the size.
Prop MD recommends downloading a boating app if you are going onto a new lake. Those can often show lake depth, terrain and things you can't see from the surface.
