Water woes mean late start for many businesses along St. John River

Several weather-dependent businesses along the St. John River are off to a late start this spring because of flooding.

Terry Avery, who owns Carman Creek Golf Course in Fredericton, said he doesn't know when the course will open.

"It's completely under water, about seven feet of water," Avery said.

"Typically [the water is] up and down in a week and a half it's been two and a half weeks or so, and it doesn't look like it's going to go down in the near future."

The driving range at the golf course on Riverside Drive is open, but Avery calls it an aqua range.

Golfers can hit balls into the flooded river.

Across the road, operations at Wetmore's Landscaping Sod and Nursery are three weeks behind last year, said owner Rod Wetmore.

"For any body in the retail nursery business, your busy season is until the third week of June, so if it starts the second week of April, great, if it starts the third week of May, not so great those are your critical times," Wetmore said.

Part of the nursery is flooded and the sod field in Maugerville has been under water for more than two weeks. Wetmore said after four or five weeks, that sod will start to rot.

"It makes it a little bit rough at the end of the year but you get used to it," he said.

And upriver, in Florenceville-Bristol, farmer Chip Hunter said it has been too wet to plant any crops.

"It used to be frost was the biggest problem," Hunter said. "But lately it can be anything: snow staying too late, cold ground not warming up. Last year was relatively early, considering our history. We were able to plant on April 30."

The longer you have to wait to plant, he said, the less time there is to sell.

• Photos from Tuesday's high waters of the St. John River
• 'The river's full': water levels increase along St. John River

"Every week that you're late planting is another week later in the summer that you're not going to be able to market your products. If you missed those big weekends you've missed that volume of sale."

More rain is expected for the coming weekend.