OLCOTT, N.Y. — Rising water levels on Lake Ontario continue to plague businesses and homes along the water.
Olcott Yacht Club is located on Water street along Lake Ontario. The club is known for being a spot to sit outside and enjoy the water view.
"You can see that the water level is coming above our break wall here and starting to flood up into our deck," Olcott Yacht Club Commodore Thomas Beilein said.
According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lake is at 248 feet above sea level, which is three feet higher than usual.
Governor Cuomo declared a State of Emergency for areas that could be impacted by the rising lake levels.
The New York Department of Homeland Security deployed more than 70,000 sand bags to homes and businesses that may be affected earlier this month.
Olcott Yacht Club had Niagara County volunteer firefighters came Wednesday to help build a 250-foot wall of sand bags to protect the back patio.
"Primarily, we have pumps running and the pumps are running 24/7" Beilein said.
The business is being proactive to try and prevent flood damage, but it is costly to keep gasoline fired pumps operating 24/7.
"The last tank full cost about 179 dollars to fill up, so it makes a difference when you have a small operation," he said.
That is money the club hopes will be reimbursed by the state.
This is not the first time the business has dealt with flooding. In 2017 the lake levels were similar and caused devastating damage to the club.
"We lost tens of thousands of dollars in 2017. People didn't want to be down here. They didn't want to sit here, who wants to sit on a wet patio" he said.
This time they are hoping being prepared will give them a better outcome, but Beilien says he doesn't believe the waters will be receding any time soon.
"From what I read this morning they are expecting it to continue to rise," he said. "They are looking at maybe third week of June for it to crest and start receding, which is quite a ways away."
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