Lake Levels and Recent Rainfall
/We have been watching lakes levels on the Yahara Chain of Lakes closely as we have had locally heavy rain causing the lake levels to be about a foot more than the summer maximums this June. On Thursday we will have our semi-annual Lake Management Update to the joint meeting of the Environment, Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee, the Land Conservation Committee, and the Lakes and Watershed Commission.
https://dane.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1145496&GUID=A4BA26B9-AC4E-4D4D-BDDF-206E6957DB0D
During this meeting we will cover current lake levels, review precipitation thus far this year, discuss progress on the multi-phase sediment removal plan and discuss aquatic plant harvesting.
Assistant Director of Land and Water John Reimer will deliver the presentation.
With brief bouts of heavy rain, you will see localized flooding in areas with poor drainage and it currently takes about 7 days for one inch of rain to leave the watershed. The goal is to move one inch of rain through the watershed in four days. I do want to emphasize that we are still below the very high lake levels of 2018 and there is no concerns around the strength and reliability of our dam infrastructure.
To see past presentations and to get more info on the work of the flooding task force of 2018, please visit this link:
https://lwrd.danecounty.gov/yahara-lake-level-recommendations
To see recommendations of the task force, please visit this link:
For more information on Aquatic Plant harvesting which helps improve flow, please visit this link:
https://lwrd.danecounty.gov/what-we-do/lake-management/aquatic-plant-management
And finally for more interactive information on current lake levels as well as a history of dam management changes, you can visit this link:
https://lwrd.danecounty.gov/Lake-Levels
I encourage you to reach out to me prior to the meeting if you would like to talk in more detail and for any questions you may want answered during the meeting.
It is our focus to help our County be resilient to a rapidly changing climate and our goal to protect our precious natural resources and keep the community safe.