Owners putting boats in storage - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Joanne Meunier and her husband couldn't wait to get their new boat out on Morse Reservoir.

"You want to boat all summer that's why you live on the water," said Meunier.

But this year, their pontoon only made it out three times before they decided to get it out of the water while they still could.

"We'll store it. If the lake fills back up we will drop it back in but I really suspect from experience it wont be until next summer," Meunier said.

Water levels in the reservoir are down six feet from the relentless drought.

"The water is dangerously low right now it's creating a lot of high areas underneath which are causing people to run aground and run across stumps and rocks objects which are doing a lot of damage to their boats," said DNR Conservation officer Mark Baker.

Baker says the low water levels are taking a toll on boat traffic.

Normally on a sunny day in mid July there would be a line of boats waiting to get into the water but Saturday morning, there was hardly anyone.

"The water's just not here and no rain and so it's had an effect," said Don Tudor who works at the Morse Lake Marina.

He says boaters are too apprehensive to hit the water here. Many docks have dried up leaving some boats land locked.

"It's slower, much slower but it makes it nice for the boats who do come in because there's not so much traffic" Tudor said.

That gives Steve Breitweizer and friends plenty of room to practice their skiing skills.

"It's good because no one else is out here it's wonderful for that but you have to be careful you have to know the lake, careful about where you're going" said Breitweizer.

Even though they had the water to themselves, Breitweizer pulled his boat out early due to the limited area available to safely water ski.

As for the Meuniers, they have made the decision to spend this summer on dry land with sights set on a nautical season next year.

"We knew when we bought on a reservoir that that's what this water is for so you just have to live with it when mother nature doesn't cooperate," said Meunier.