NEW BERLIN – Last Saturday’s thunderstorms added six inches of rain to Chenango Lake, according to City of Norwich officials, and brought New Berlin’s popular summer recreational destination up to within one inch of the high water mark.

Prior to this weekend, however, the lake was down by seven inches and some property owners had difficulty getting their boats in.

Some say the water was actually down by as much as a foot.

Summer residents James and Jeffie Benedict said they were forced to cancel their son’s college graduation party on Friday because they couldn’t get their boat in.

“It looks like we’re going to have to put in a buoy this year and swim out to reach the boat,” said Jeffie. “You jump off the end of our dock now and the water wouldn’t cover your knees.”

Before this weekend’s rainfall, other homeowners said they were considering adding extensions onto their docks in order to reach their boats. “The summer is such a short period of time for that kind of investment,” said Mary Carol Edwards of East Side Lake Drive.

Chenango Lake is partially owned by the City of Norwich and serves as a backup water source for filling its reservoirs located nearby and adjacent to state Rt. 23. The Norwich Water Department maintains the lake’s water level on a seasonal basis via three valves. Maintenance is necessary to prevent warming temperatures and wind that could push large, heavy ice chunks onto shore and damage lakefront property.