Cottager blames N.B. Power for half-sunken boat in Mactaquac headpond

It's been everything but a relaxing summer for Andrew O'Hara at his cottage, near Scotch Settlement, on the Mactaquac headpond,

It's just upstream from the Mactaquac Dam, which occasionally releases water downstream on the St. John River.

But O'Hara said the dam's operator, N.B. Power, gave little notice on Aug. 11 when it released water, lowering water levels in front of his cottage by a metre, or about four feet, beaching his boat moored at his dock.

O'Hara said N.B. Power sent out emails and posted on Facebook on that date, warning water levels would be lowered within three hours or less.

Despite what he calls "very short notice," O'Hara said he rushed to his cottage from Fredericton only to find the boat already high and dry.

"We couldn't believe the amount, the drastic amount of water that had been dropped," he said.

Then, the following week, a call came from a neighbour: O'Hara's boat had sunk.

The airtight seal on the motor mount had broken when the boat was at an awkward angle from being beached, which then let in water as the levels rose.

"I'm not the one that sunk that boat. N.B. Power did and they know it," O'Hara said.

"So they should be taking care of getting rid of it."

The company would not speak directly about O'Hara's case but denies wrongdoing for damage caused by fluctuating water levels, for which it said it gave adequate warning.

O'Hara said a representative didn't come to view the boat until Aug. 30 and placed floating booms around it to prevent gas leakage. But O'Hara said he soon got a call from an N.B. Power employee, who said the company would not pay to have the boat removed from the water, for repairs or a new boat.

"It's clear disregard for people within the area, land owners and boat owners," O'Hara said.

The boat has now been half-sunken for a month, its rear end and motor submerged.