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Thursday, March 28, 2002

By Tom Gibb, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

A month ago, officials at Raystown Lake in Huntingdon County warned that drought had them at the cusp of banning powerboating, a summertime mainstay for the 1.5 million to 2 million annual visitors to the sprawling lake.

But back then, when the only precipitation seemed to be flop sweat from tourism promoters, Susan Nicewonger at Don's Boathouse and Marina near the lake promised that late winter and early spring always bring big rain.

It happened.

A month ago, the lake surface stood at 774 feet above sea level, 13 feet below normal and a mere foot to spare before lake officials with the Army Corps of Engineers would have banned the unlimited-horsepower boats that the 26-mile-long lake allows.

Corps of Engineers officials feared the craft could hit underwater obstacles like trees left standing 28 years ago when water was dammed to form Raystown.

But a week heavy in rain, capped by a deluge Tuesday, brought the lake level to 779.4 feet by late yesterday afternoon. Water still flowing from the lake's 900-square-mile watershed was expected to push the level past 780 feet by this morning -- welcome news to an area where powerboaters begin flocking by early April.

"I think we're off the endangered list," Wayne McKnight, Raystown maintenance chief, said yesterday. "I'd say we're not in danger at all."

Nature brought rain; mankind kicked in to the effort by cutting the flow from the lake, a flood control project that is the largest inland body of water in Pennsylvania.

The Corps of Engineers' edict remains: If the water level falls to 773 feet, powerboating is banned until the level rises. The level is posted on the Internet, at www.nab-wc.usace.army.mil/wc/junipub.html.

No need to worry, Nicewonger said yesterday.

Her forecast this time: "We'll probably get a few more heavy rains."