With water levels high enough for boats, business owners say New Jersey residents visited Lake Hopatcong for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Restaurant owners say they lost thousands of dollars when the water levels in the lake were too low for boats during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. According to Bob Place, manager at Lake Hopatcong Marina Woodport, residents were taking their boats to Greenwood Lake or the Jersey Shore instead.

Neighbors say the Department of Environmental Protection drained the lake too much earlier this year, which caused the water levels to drop below nine feet in May.