Boats destroyed in storms, flooding ahead of Three Rivers Regatta

The Army Corps of Engineers is closely monitoring the Monongahela River after heavy rain on Friday.

Officials told Channel 11 they are considering releasing some water at the Charleroi Dam.

Six locks and dams along the Mon River were knocked out during the heavy storms over the weekend.

All are supposed to be back up and running by Monday night, but the situation highlights the repair efforts taking place just days before the Three Rivers Regatta.

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River levels remained high Monday afternoon, forcing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to do controlled releases from reservoirs in the Youghiogheny River and the Tygart River in West Virginia to prevent downstream flooding.

"At Elizabeth, it's about 15 times our normal flow there," said spokesman Jeff Hawk of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "Don't be fooled by the beautiful sunny day. These rivers are still elevated."

Hawk said the controlled releases will continue through midweek, keeping river levels elevated. He also said it's critical for anyone using the river this week to be safe and do their research, because even warning buoys could be out of place.

"Our warning buoys that mark the restricted areas got knocked off station," Hawk said. "People that are out there on the rivers need to understand those buoys might not be there."

Hawk doesn't anticipate any impact for boaters heading to the Point for this weekend's Regatta.

But some boat owners are picking up the pieces after six boats, including the Sugar and Spice Ice Cream Boat, were destroyed in the South Side Marina on Saturday.

"The waters just got really bad and the boat started listing," said Sugar and Spice boat co-owner Kevin Heenan. "Within minutes it just went. It just went under." He was standing just a few hundred yards away when his boat was destroyed.

"At the other end of the marina, there are parts of my boat," Heenan said. "There are pieces of all of the boats. (The pieces) are all over here. You'll probably find a refrigerator down at the Point that's probably mine."

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Heenan and his wife were preparing the boat for the Three Rivers Regatta when the storm hit.

"It's one of our biggest weekends," he said. "It helps pay for everything here for the summer."

Heenan said his insurance will cover some of the losses, but far from everything. Now he plans on focusing all of his attention on the Sugar and Spice Ice Cream Truck.

"Within the last two years, my wife and I both quit our full-time jobs to do this," Heenan said. "I quit mine because of the boat, but now the truck is big enough that I think it will support us doing that."

It could take several days for the destroyed boats in the South Side Marina to be removed, in part because of the high water levels in the river.

Cox Media Group