ONOVILLE — Boaters anxiously await Friday when the docks at Onoville Marina Park will finally open.
The scheduled May 3 opening date was postponed due to the high water level of the Allegheny Reservoir and the flooding that occurred at the marina.
Due to heavy rains in the region last month, much of the marina’s grounds were flooded and covered with debris making some of the parking lots, the boat launch and many of the docks inaccessible.
With the facility unsafe and utilities inoperable since mid-April, officials from Cattaraugus County, which owns the marina, postponed the opening until May 10. This gave marina staff time to clean up the debris left from the flood waters and to repair any damage done to the electricity and infrastructure.
Crystal Abers, director of the county’s Economic Development, Planning and Tourism, said there was no way for the marina to open as scheduled because the cleanup couldn’t begin for about 10 days after the flooding when the waters began to recede. She said the staff has done a great job cleaning up, but electric and infrastructure issues remain and need to be completed by Friday.
A video posted April 16 on the Onoville Marina Park’s Facebook page shows the extent of the flooding at the marina with debris from the Allegheny Reservoir strewn over much of the grounds.
“Now that the debris has been cleaned up, the marina park looks perfectly fine to the average individual, but there is still water damage that the eye cannot see,” Abers said.
Although the flood created a delay, Abers said the cleanup and preparations to open next week are going well. She said May 3 that the water level was about 2 feet above the normal pool, but around April 15 it was about 14 feet above normal when the damage was done.
A post on the marina’s Facebook page said April 19 was the third day of cleaning up the flood debris. It said the water level that morning was 1,338.39 feet, with an outflow of 15,360 cubic feet per second.
In a previous interview with the Press, Amy Hosier, assistant recreation area manager at the marina, said the marina is designed to be flooded and is always prepared because it sits on a flood control reservoir. During high-water conditions downstream, part of the water is backed up at Kinzua Dam, so it will lower water levels downstream to help prevent flooding.
“On the flip side, there have been times when the water levels were so low the marina had to close,” she said. This is called “low-flow augmentation” when the water above the dam is released during a dry summer to keep the river levels up downstream. “The method aids in water quality and navigation,” Hosier added.
According to Abers, a new camp store is in the works this year and is expected to be completed in July or August, but will probably not be open this season. She said the building will be located in the center of the park, past the new ticket booth near the parking lot on the right.
Abers said there are currently no new renovation projects planned. The crews are just completing what has been done — getting everything connected and opened up.
Operated by the Cattaraugus County Department of Public Works, the Onoville facility is the largest inland marina in New York state with 400 Dock Slips and 70 Campsites. It has been noted as one of the Chautauqua-Allegheny Region’s finest and most affordable marinas and is said to be one of the area’s best-kept secrets.
Onoville Marina Park is located on the Allegheny River, just west of Allegany State Park, at 704 W. Perimeter Road, Steamburg. For more information, call (716) 354-2615 or visit online at onovillemarina.org and Facebook.
