Water woes mean late start for many businesses along St. John River
Golf course, nursery and farmers among those affected by extended high water and soggy ground this spring
Several weather-dependent businesses along the St. John River are off to a late start this spring because of flooding.
Terry Avery, who owns Carman Creek Golf Course in Fredericton, said he doesn't know when the course will open.
"It's completely under water, about seven feet of water," Avery said.
"Typically [the water is] up and down in a week and a half — it's been two and a half weeks or so, and it doesn't look like it's going to go down in the near future."
The driving range at the golf course on Riverside Drive is open, but Avery calls it an aqua range.
Across the road, operations at Wetmore's Landscaping Sod and Nursery are three weeks behind last year, said owner Rod Wetmore.
"For any body in the retail nursery business, your busy season is until the third week of June, so if it starts the second week of April, great, if it starts the third week of May, not so great — those are your critical times," Wetmore said.
Part of the nursery is flooded and the sod field in Maugerville has been under water for more than two weeks. Wetmore said after four or five weeks, that sod will start to rot.
"It makes it a little bit rough at the end of the year but you get used to it," he said.
And upriver, in Florenceville-Bristol, farmer Chip Hunter said it has been too wet to plant any crops.
The longer you have to wait to plant, he said, the less time there is to sell.
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"Every week that you're late planting is another week later in the summer that you're not going to be able to market your products. If you missed those big weekends you've missed that volume of sale."
More rain is expected for the coming weekend.