Flood debris, speed limits meant a slow summer on the Rock River. Will the boats return?

After a summer marred by a record number of "no wake" orders on the Rock River, Rockford area boaters and the businesses who rely on them for a successful season are hoping to make up for lost time this August.

The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, which imposes no wake orders when water levels hit 8 feet or higher at the Latham Road Bridge in Machesney Park, lifted its most recent one on Monday.

It was the latest in a string of nearly four dozen days — on and off since April — when the river has been under a strict no wake order.

The orders limit boaters and others to a top speed of five miles per hour to prevent them from creating waves on the water that can wreak havoc on riverfront properties already struggling with high water and floating debris. The end result has been much less traffic on the waterway that's typically a popular summertime destination for pontoon boat cruisers and fun-seeking jet skiers.

“It’s been very frustrating for people that live on the river and people that use the river,” said Steve Lucas, the president of Rock River Enterprises and Barge, Inc. “It hasn’t been this bad for probably over a decade.”

The Rockford Ski Broncs, a water ski team that's known for its free shows all summer long at Shorewood Park on the Rock River, has had to cancel most of its performances this summer and had to call off plans to host the National Show Ski Association’s Division 1 national tournament.

The Ski Broncs finally were back on the river for a show Wednesday night.

'Numbers are way down'

The river is home to several businesses that rely on river recreation to make ends meet.

Paula Schwartz owns the restaurant and bar Tad’s on the Rock along with her sister and their mother. In the 16 years Tad’s has been open, Schwartz said, she recalls the river flooding only twice.

This year's conditions have been bad for business.

“Our numbers are way down,” she said.

It's affected her staff, too. Schwartz said she had to call servers and bartenders and tell them to not come in for their shifts almost weekly in July because business was so slow.

The recent lifting of the no wake order has helped slightly, she said, but the return to the water has been slow. She said she knows many people have taken their boats out of the water to avoid damage.

Rick Lind, the president of the Verdi Club, said around a quarter of the club’s patrons come from its Saturday lunches, and Saturday lunches have been down by about half this summer with fewer people on the water.

Kevin Versino, the general manager of Rocktown Adventures, said the outdoor retailer and paddle sports rental business has had to cancel several of its planned trips because of conditions on the Rock River.

"Just looking at the bottom-line business, we’ve been okay despite the rain," Versino added.

This summer's challenges are the exact opposite of last summer's, Versino said, but not necessarily worse. In 2023, river levels were low and the flow rate was slow because of dry conditions. That meant obstacles usually covered water were exposed. This summer, a faster flow rate means paddlers must make quicker decisions as they navigate — which increases difficulty for less experienced paddlers.

Brad Ferwerda, who works the front counter at Angler’s Edge, said the fishing and boat shop has stayed busy this summer despite the multiple no wake orders.

Frequent rains and an open dam have changed the behavior of fish, Ferwerda said. The strong current has forced fishers to adjust their techniques and use heavier sinkers, which has had some of them coming into Angler’s Edge for additional equipment.

Ferwerda said he, himself, was eager to get back on the water.

“I haven’t had my boat on the river this year, and that’s what I live for," he said. "So I can’t wait to get out there.”

What's in the forecast for the Rock River?

The long stretch of no wake days this summer could be a taste of the future.

W. Scott Lincoln, a Chicago-based hydrologist for the National Weather Service, said most weather and river forecast models show a continued slow fall in river levels over the next few weeks.

But conditions in the Rock River this July could be part of a long-term trend toward more rainfall and higher water, Lincoln said.

The United States Geological Survey has maintained a gauge for the Rock River at Rockton since the 1940s.

Average annual stream flow — the volume of water moving through the river at a given site — has been almost double in recent years compared to the 1950s, Lincoln said. Annual minimum stream flow has risen even more dramatically: In recent years, the yearly low has been more than twice what it was in the 1950s.

In some cases, stream flow in rivers increases because of new development: Water runs off roofs, streets and parking lots instead of soaking into the soil. But the fraction of land in the Rock River basin covered by impervious surfaces hasn't increased dramatically over time.

Instead, most of that trend is due to changes in rainfall patterns, Lincoln said. Annual average rainfall has increased, and a larger proportion of that rain falls in heavy rain events.

Lincoln said that's consistent with the fifth National Climate Assessment, which found that human-caused warming has contributed to an increase in the frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation events across much of the U.S., particularly the Northeast and the Midwest.

Tilly Robinson is a summer reporting intern with the Gannett/USA Today Network at the Rockford Register Star. She can be reached via email at mrrobinson@gannett.com and on X @ tillyrobin .

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Flood debris, speed limits meant a slow summer on the Rock River. Will the boats return?