“It's never been like this before,” said kayaker Nick Turner. “We've come about four times this year and it's never been this low.”
Kayaking couple Nick and Emily Turner said the sights to see right now at Morse Reservoir are the sand bars.
“Around here, half these people can' t get their boats out,” said Nick. “I think it's unfortunate we were lucky we have kayaks so we can just pick [them] up and drop [them] right in.”
People who live on the lake are left high and dry, and so are the businesses that typically benefit from a steady flow of lake traffic.
“It kinda hurts us because what happens is a lot of people are pulling their boats out early getting out of here so it's hurting entertainment on the lake is just dropping, so people aren't coming here as much,” said Alec Wolf, general manager of Wolfies Grill.
Between the dangerously low levels and the dangerously high temps, Wolfies’ patio is empty.
At the neighboring marina, the daily ramp is basically unused and gasoline sales are way down.
Morse Reservoir is approximately 5 feet below normal, dropping almost a foot every five days.
Adding onto an already usual year weather-wise, Wolf said it’s hard to tell how business will balance out by the end of the season.
“Overall, I think we're gonna do well just because that summer came months ahead and our sales have been really good, but this is kind of a lull for us we're kind of new to this,” said Wolf.
The Morse Reservoir is not the only body of water that is decreasing due to the drought. Eagle Creek is normally at 790 feet, but it is now at 788.13 feet, a 2.87 feet decrease. Additionally, Geist Reservoir is approximately 1.8 feet lower than normal.
