A flood of visitors
. . . and a few damp campsites at reservoir
Staff writer
Every year, beginning in spring and peaking in summer, Marion Reservoir is inundated with campers.
The reservoir is known state-wide as a peaceful place to fish, camp, and swim.
Blue-green algae, which blooms on and off during the summer, sometimes hampers the fun. But on Thursday, it was not algae but flooding that caused a few problems.
Heavy rain on Wednesday caused flooding in campsites closest to the water.
“A whole bunch of people have been moved because of the storms,” Natalie Hoffman said.
Natalie and her husband, Nathan, who live just west of Marion, were at the reservoir with their daughter on a family getaway.
“It went from cool to hot in a hurry,” Nathan said. “So that’s why we’re at the lake.”
They weren’t affected by the storms, but had talked to some people who had been relocated.
“I just love that it’s here and it’s close to home,” Nathan said. “We enjoy coming out here every opportunity we get.”
Andi Hamm, from near Walton, had been forced to relocate Wednesday morning.
A reservoir employee knocked on her camper door at 6 a.m. and told her he would have to shut her power off in two hours, she said.
Hamm could see reservoir water rising beyond the employee, though it never actually reached her campsite, she said. Nevertheless, the staffer directed all eight members of her group to move farther inland.
“It’s hard, because a lot of campers book these places ahead of time,” Hamm said. “And it’s hard when you have four campers you have to find spots for.”
Fortunately for Hamm and her family, the campsite wasn’t entirely full, and some would-be visitors had cancelled their reservations because of the storms.
She found a place to park her camper in the center of Cottonwood Point, and was relaxing in a shaded plaza.
Her 13-year-old corgi, Lucy, lay down by her side in front of an electric fan. The rest of her group had gone out onto the water to fish.
“We love coming up here,” Hamm said. “We live on a farm, so we have to go home and check on things. It’s easy for us to come up here.”
Hamm has come to the reservoir for a long time. Her aunt, who joined her at the plaza, had camped there even longer; since the 1960s, she said.
“Both of my parents have died, and they’ve kind of taken me in,” Hamm said of her aunt and uncle.
Hamm and her aunt remarked that the number of campers at the reservoir had increased in recent years, while the number of staff members seemed to have dropped.
“Since COVID, everybody has got a camper,” Hamm said. “Back when my dad was going, I mean, he knew all these people by their first name.”
Amy and Patrick Slingsby, positioned slightly closer to the water, had driven from Clay Center to spend the weekend at the reservoir.
They were setting up their boat while waiting for a few friends from Marion to arrive.
“We always go to the lake and make a long weekend out of it,” Amy said. “We love this lake. It’s peaceful.”
Patrick concurred.
“The campsite is sweet,” he said.