Rick Henderson, who manages the Sheila and Rick Henderson Marina at Delta Beach, says a major winter dredging project was essential to keeping the channel open this year. The work involved multiple machines, including a D6 Cat, rock trucks, and excavators, to dig a trench about 250 feet long, 30 feet wide and 9 feet deep.
“We had to get it done right. If we hadn’t done it this year, you wouldn’t have been able to get a boat on the lake,” Henderson says.
He notes that lake levels are currently at their lowest operating range, and without rain, it could worsen through evaporation.
“The marina’s been busy and fishing has been great,” he adds. “I haven’t heard any complaints yet.”
Related stories:
- RM awards five year lease extension to marina at Delta Beach
- Watch new marina up and ready for use at Delta Beach
Visitors up as Clear Lake remains closed
Henderson says many visitors are coming to Delta Beach this year as a result of Clear Lake being closed to boats.
“Yes, and I think we’re getting some of their spin-off,” he says. “There are people from Winkler, Brandon, Winnipeg—just all over. And a lot of locals still use it too.”
Clear Lake was originally expected to reopen to boaters this year, but on the May long weekend, Parks Canada reversed course, citing concerns over invasive zebra mussels.
“They just didn’t want to spread the zebra mussels,” Henderson notes. “Clear Lake’s a National Park, and they’re stricter than a provincial park or areas like Lake Manitoba.”
Growing popularity meets parking pressure
Now in its third year, the marina has become so popular that there’s already a waiting list.
“There’s a waiting list to get into the marina slips,” Henderson says. “We lease the moats for three years at a time, and there’s nothing open for the next three years.”
He adds that while the marina has its own parking lot for boats, it’s become overrun by shore fishers.
“It’s sort of a catch-22,” he notes. “The fishermen take over the parking lot, and people phone me saying they can’t park their trailers. We have signs up, but they just ignore them.”
Henderson says he can’t justify hiring someone to manage parking, and although the lot was meant for marina use, there’s little enforcement.
Why dredging matters
Henderson explains that dredging is necessary due to the lake’s natural geography.
“We’re on the southern tip of Lake Manitoba. It always silts in. It’s just how the lake works,” he says. “On a year when the water level is higher, it’s better, but with no snow over winter and no spring rain, it’s been tough.”
Without dredging, long recreational boats wouldn’t be able to navigate the channel.
“People come here because it’s so close to Portage,” Henderson says. “You’ve got a nice launch facility and a clean space. We keep the grass cut and people seem to respect it.”
He adds that they intentionally avoid placing garbage bins along the shoreline.
“If we did, they’d just get filled up. But people have actually kept it pretty clean.”
Looking ahead
Though there’s interest in expanding the marina, Henderson says limited land and growing parking issues are major hurdles.
“It would be nice to expand,” he says. “But then you need more property and more room for parking. And people didn’t want trailers lined up and down the road.”
With high demand and limited space, the marina’s success has also created challenges.
“So far so good,” he says, reflecting on its rapid growth. “But if we grow, we’ll have to figure out how to grow smart.”
Sign up to get the latest local news headlines delivered directly to your inbox every afternoon.
Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@portageonline.com.
PortageOnline encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the PortageOnline app.
Video from the marina when first built in August 2022: