A month has made all the difference for a floating restaurant that brands itself as the largest of its kind in Texas.
"We'll take all we can get," said Cary Lewis, manager of Boon-Docks at Eagle Mountain Lake, about what his restaurant relies upon more than anything else – water.
In mid-March, NBC 5 featured the struggles of Boon-Docks, which was forced to dredge hundreds of dump-truck loads of sand from the lake bottom and drag itself farther out into the water to stay afloat, literally and figuratively.
Since then, the water at Eagle Mountain Lake has risen more than three feet, averaging about an inch a day, allowing the business to float properly.
Perhaps more importantly, the rising lake level has also allowed the nearby floating docks to do so once again in the marina, which has brought the boaters, and their business, back.
"There was one time it was sitting on dirt. And now we're floating again," said Boon-Docks regular customer Brandie Alford on a busy Wednesday night. "This is the biggest crowd we've seen in a while. It's nice to have it back."
There is still a lot of room for improvement. The walkway leading up to the restaurant is supposed to be a floating dock. Instead, it sits suspended at a slightly steep angle until the water level rises a few more feet.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
But that's taking a "lake half-empty" look at the situation, according to Boon-Docks management.
"The attitude around Eagle Mountain Lake has been pretty negative. Everybody's been like, 'Oh, it's just gonna dry up,'" Lewis told NBC 5. "All of a sudden here comes the rain and everybody's excited, everybody's coming out. You know we're having, on a Wednesday night, we've got a good crowd. The boats are starting to come out. Everybody's hopeful now."
