Lake Pleasant marina plagued with debris from snowmelt

Debris forms at Lake Pleasant due to snowmelt

While the warm weekend means it is the perfect time to cool off at Lake Pleasant, the lake, located northwest of Phoenix, has seen better days, as heavy rain and snowmelt runoff from the wet winter season has created a mess. FOX 10's Marissa Sarbak reports.

PEORIA, Ariz. - Heavy rain and snow run-off from this past winter caused water levels to rise at Lake Pleasant - and in some areas, it's a messy affair.

"We got nine feet of rain that came down the Agua Fria River all the way from Prescott to here. That's a lot of debris," said Chad Case, Pleasant Harbor Marina Boatmaster.

That layer of debris is a mix of wood, branches and fine silt, and it completely covers many of the boat slips down at Pleasant Harbor Marina.

"It is a problem for boaters to get out of their slips," Case said.

It's challenging to avoid for those who can get their boats out.

"A lot of these logs, they’re just below the surface, and if you’re not careful you’re going to take off a prop," said boater Steve Miller.

The marina has been cleaning out the debris pile by pile for the last month, but right now, there's no end in sight.

"Nothing of this magnitude except for 2013," Case said. "We had a storm that produced about the same - lake went up about six feet overnight."

However, not all Lake Pleasant visitors may encounter this debris. At Scorpion Bay, there's minimal mess.

Pleasant Harbor Marina: