FINAL REPORT - International Joint Commission

B. Recreational Boating and Tourism Technical Work Group Summary
Objectives
The Recreational Boating and Tourism Technical Work Group was charged with developing: (1) a general
assessment of the impact of recreational boating on the study area, (2) performance indicators that would
show the effects of changing water levels on recreational boating and tourism interests, and (3) ideal criteria
for water levels that would best meet the needs of recreational boaters and associated businesses.
ANNEX 2
Data Collection and Evaluation Methodology
A three-pronged approach was developed, with each approach involving a different group and a different
method of assessing the impacts of water level changes. The members of the first group, recreational
boaters, were surveyed by phone to determine their use of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, then
by mail for specific information about expenditures and the impacts of high and low water levels on their
use of the area. Those in the second group, marina and yacht club owners, were contacted in person and
by phone to assess the impacts of fluctuating water levels and to obtain physical measurements of depths
at slips and boat launching facilities. The third group, charter and tour boat operators, was surveyed by
mail and phone to assess the impacts of fluctuating water levels on such businesses. All data was
collected in 2002 and 2003.
For recreational boaters, a sample of 10,382 U.S. boat owners was drawn from boats registered in the
eight counties bordering Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, using only boats in the “pleasure boat”
category with non-commercial addresses. The sample was stratified by boat length and by geographic
region. Boaters were contacted by telephone to determine if they had boated on Lake Ontario or the
St. Lawrence River in 2002. If they had, they were sent a mail questionnaire asking them more detailed
questions about their boating experiences and expenditures.
In Canada, a list of registered boats was not available. Therefore, a telephone survey of the general population
living in the study area was conducted to determine the number of boaters using study waters in 2002.
However, not enough boaters could be obtained by this method to permit a more detailed mail survey.
Instead, a mail survey was sent to Canadian Power Squadron members living in the study area to obtain
the more detailed information about boating experiences and expenditures. The questionnaire was the
same as the one used in the U.S. However, this group was considered representative not of all Canadian
boaters, but of only those using marinas and yacht clubs. To estimate performance indicators for boat
launch ramp users and private dock owners, ratios developed from U.S. data (e.g., days boated by marina
users/days boated by launch ramp users) were applied to the Canadian power squadron data.
In the case of marina and yacht club owners, an inventory of all marinas, yacht clubs, and state/provincial
or privately run boat launch ramps was conducted during the summer of 2002. In personal interviews
conducted by field staff, services provided at each marina and yacht club were inventoried. Operators
were asked about impacts to their business from both high and low water conditions, the cost of those
actions taken to mitigate, and whether any revenue was lost. Depth measurements were taken at selected
slips and launching facilities and used to determine the point at which the slip or launch ramp could not be
used and thus when benefits would be lost.
Options for Managing Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River Water Levels and Flows
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