The Nipigon waterfront is nestled on the west edge of the river that bears the town's name. Against the far shore, sparkles reflecting the summer sun off the surface appear to tumble downstream with the current.
The glare dances differently on this side of the river, where the current's rolling back at the pier.
The dock workers are underwater to their elbows and waving rakes below the surface to collect the debris that's drifting upstream. They're removing glop by the wheelbarrow.
A decade ago, sediment buildup in this spot was making it impossible for large boats to dock. This summer, the strength of the back eddy is making landing an unwelcome adventure.
Nipigon Mayor Richard Harvey glances at a deadwood log churning against the wharf as he makes his way to the edge.
It's clear something has gone wrong.
"We've got a problem here," he says. "This is a safety issue and it's an issue for economic development and tourism as well."
The Canadian National Railway cut a path across this riverbed in 1909. Nipigon began discussing restoring the river's flow in 2006, amid visions of enhancing the town's waterfront.
Around the same time, MNR staff hatched a plan to enrich the natural walleye habitat in the lagoon north of the harbour, which had been decimated by the abandoned tracks.
Those plans came together last summer when an engineering firm removed the underwater break wall that pinned the current against the far shore. Conforming nature to meet last century's transportation needs took its toll on the ecosystem but returning the river to its natural state is having unforeseen consequences.
"Something was missed," Harvey says.
"They spent two years (planning) but something was missed. They didn't take something into account because this year, we have a situation where we have record highs on Lake Superior but we also have record high water flows on the Nipigon River."
A few metres away, Gary Lange wraps his large hands around a stanchion on his boat's starboard side. His heels rise as he fights the current to hold the vessel off the dock. A family of American tourists steps aboard, the children striding from the dock.
The owner of Bowman Island Lodge is doing an admirable job of acting like this isn't a challenge in front of his guests.
"It looks like we probably need some of the break wall put back in, just enough to deflect that flow so we don't get the extreme flow we're having here right now," Lange says, pointing out the south end of the dock is practically unusable.
Harvey says talks have begun with the MNR to find a permanent solution.
