DETROIT, Ore. — A couple of weeks ago, businesses in Detroit, Ore. were worried their season might not start on time or happen at all. Water levels were so low and boats couldn't even float on the lake.
Snowmelt and recent heavy rain has now put those worries to rest. Detroit Lake is already open for the season.
The city of Detroit had a good winter with heavy snow all the way up through mid-April. A cold and wet spring delayed the melting of some of the mountain snowpack Detroit depends on until a couple of weeks ago.
Lucas Lunski, who manages Detroit Lake Marina, said he was getting nervous about the start of the season.
"We left April 27 and nothing was floating," Lunski said. "When we came back May 1, it was fully floating again."
He said it means everything to him that the lake is full again, because without a full lake, the marina can't open and businesses in Detroit suffer.
Lunski said Detroit got help from two sources: the Army Corps of Engineers, which released some water downstream of the lake, and Mother Nature.
"There was so much snow around," Lunski said. "I mean, there was so much snow here in the middle of April and once it got warm, it started to melt off and that's what saved us at the end."
The rise in water levels is a boost for the small town, which depends on tourism dollars. The mayor of Detroit has called the lake the town's "economic base," since people who recreate on the water are more likely to wander into town, shop and grab a bite to eat.
The town is still rebuilding nearly three years after wildfires burned down much of the town. About 80% of the roughly 600 buildings in the town burned— many of them homes or businesses.
Joe Connor lost his BBQ restaurant during the Labor Day weekend fires of 2020 and now works out of a food cart. He said property values have tripled since the fires broke out, pointing to new construction as proof that the town is slowly coming back.
"There’s one development that was in the plans to be built before the fire," Connor said. "Luckily, they didn't start before the fire, but that was the first big neighborhood to go in."
Many buildings have been constructed since the wildfire, including Detroit's new civic center which houses city hall and has a gathering space for the community.
Business owners are hoping for a busy holiday weekend next week for Memorial Day. Marina managers said they have already rented out most, if not all, of their boats. They hope river levels stay high so they're able to stay open through the entire summer.