Rains raise flood fears

From the Janesville Gazette

NOAA has also adjusted their predictions significantly since March 18th.

NOAA

Madison considers dropping Lake Mendota level

From the WI State Journal
HERE

Respect Slow-No Wake {Photo 2}

Photos from Blackhawk Island
Janesville Gazette 3.29.08

Respect Slow-No Wake {Photo 1}

From the Janesville Gazette 3.29.08

Rock River is still on the rise

From the Janesville Gazette

What - No history-making flood?

PREVIOUS POST

Slow-No-Wake Enacted for Rock River

From the City of Janesville:

The large spring snow melt in the drainage basin north of Janesville has resulted in swollen water conditions for the Rock River in Janesville. The City of Janesville has requested the Rock County Sheriff’s Department enact a slow-no-wake speed restriction for the Rock River within the Janesville city limits.


This follows similar requests by Janesville and Fulton Townships to the north.


A slow-no-wake speed restriction has been enacted because there is concern that boat wakes will cause shoreline and personal property damage to areas of the river that have now exceeded their banks.

Janesville and area boat launches on the Rock River remain open, but this restriction will be posted at river launches including Traxler and Riverside Parks.


Slow-no-wake is defined as the slowest possible speed that watercraft can travel and still maintain steerage.


The Rock County Sheriff’s Department will enforce this speed restriction.

Individuals who witness slow-no-wake violations should contact:


the Sheriff’s Department at their 757-2244 non-emergency number.


For questions, please contact Parks Director Tom Presny at 755-3026.

City's snowfall near record

From the Watertown Daily Times

Jefferson County Emergency Management Director Donna Haugom told the Daily Times this morning that Jefferson County has reached flood stage on the Rock River at Fort Atkinson and on the Crawfish River at Milford. She said the county is also experiencing minor flooding of lowland areas, which is causing some residential impact, southwest of Fort Atkinson.

“The residential impact means there is some water creeping up to homes, but is not into them yet,” Haugom said. “But these homes are being impacted with water across the roads that lead up to them.”

She said water is crossing areas near Blackhawk Island, High Ridge Road, Vet's Lane and Bark River Road in the south-central part of the county.

“All of these roads are submerged and we will experience issues east of Watertown, I suspect, in the near future,” she noted. “The Crawfish is affecting mainly agricultural lands right now and River Bend Resort is probably being affected.”

Haugom said people from areas including sections of County Highway K along the Rock River are visiting the county emergency management office to get sandbags.

“We have distributed more than 1,000 sandbags so far and we have 30,000. I'm ready,” Haugom said. “The Bark and Crawfish rivers are really spreading out. With the confluence of the Crawfish and Rock in Jefferson, then those two rivers meeting the Bark in Fort ... It just aggravates the situation having the three waterways combining, then also with the ice that is on Lake Koshkonong we face more problems.”

Haugom warned any boaters who take to area waterways to heed the countywide slow, no-wake ordinance that is in effect.

“It's dangerous to be on the water right now anyway,” Haugom said. “And we ask motorists to please not go down roads with water on them unless it is absolutely necessary to do so. We want drivers to respect property owners and any (wave action) can damage their property. We are also concerned for the safety of motorists, because a car can float in just two feet of water.”

Carp Seining: John "Pearl" Heller

John Heller, Edgerton, working for Wisconsin Live Fish, pulls on the nets in the Rock River by Monterey Park to confine the buffalo and carp fish to a smaller area, left, before the crew can load the fish into their boats Monday.

The crew uses a net that’s about 3,000 feet long to capture the fish. After being weighed, the fish will be put into live wells and then shipped by truck to fresh fish markets in New York City.

Stoller Fisheries in Iowa also uses about 6 million pounds of carp per year for a variety of products.

The crews will be working on Lake Koshkonong after the ice is gone.

Carp Seiners

Buffalo and carp fish from the Rock River that will be sold in New York City's Chinatown restaurants that were harvested by the Edgerton based Wisconsin Live Fish

Fishing for young anglers

From the Milw Journal Sentinel

...Aware of several trends that paint a pessimistic picture for the future of fishing, the DNR recently created a new position and a statewide team to tackle one of the key issues - drawing more youth, especially urban youth, into fishing.

The department has drafted Matt Coffaro, a DNR fisheries employee for 25 years, to be the first statewide urban fish biologist. He heads a team with at least one member in each of the state's regions.

...When fewer fishing licenses are sold and less fishing tackle is purchased, the amount of money available to the DNR to care for our waters also diminishes.

So to stem the dropping tide, the DNR has chosen to act, creating the urban fish team. The team will work with local organizations around the state to promote fishing, including sponsoring clinics and training programs. They also have fishing equipment for loan.

Responses to Fort Letter

Nice article Jim, and you hit both items right on the head.

I never boat up to Fort anymore because of the Slow-No-Wake is ridiculously long, runs the entire length of the Town.

How many dollars do you think Fort loses each year now because boaters just won't go S-N-W for 5/6 miles?
Jim

Jim;
Great article. Sure hope the Fort Atkinson City Council takes some
action. No one I know will boat to Fort anymore.
Rich

Jim-
I missed your letter in the local paper here but good work. You would think the Chamber of Commerce would support you and the city on this.
Aaron

Jim
I enjoyed your article and will get my fishing buddies to post something on the Lake Links too.
Bob

Fishing in Fort

(from March 9, 2008, Daily Jefferson Union)

Editor,
After living in Fort Atkinson my entire life, I am compelled to write this letter because of the passion I share with other residents for our beautiful Rock River.

I have fished off the downtown Rock River "wall" since a young child. This stone wall was a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project of the Great Depression. In the 1930's, over 100 workers hauled in boulders from the surrounding countryside to build it. The river bank wall has remained open to the public, attracting local fishing enthusiasts and out-of-town tourists ever since.

The river bank and its presumed problems have been in the spotlight lately, and I agree, fishermen are to blame. We as fishermen have been at fault only because we have not been making our voices heard (until recently). We as fishermen have stood by and watched the minority rule for the majority in regards to past decisions on fishing and boating in Fort Atkinson.

The city of Fort Atkinson has done an outstanding job governing. They have listened to those who spoke up and tried to make the best (tough) decisions at the time. That’s good government. Unfortunately, we the fishermen have stood on the sidelines, we did not speak up, so we should take blame in losing valuable fishing and boating privileges in Fort Atkinson.

Three fishing opportunities have diminished here locally in the past several years. A fourth, which is restricting fishing on the new river walk, is being debated at this time. As fishermen (and women), we should review where we’ve been and where we want to go.

For those not familiar with fishing privileges lost in Fort Atkinson, here’s what’s happened in the past several years: 1. Boat trailer parking for fishermen in the downtown Fort Atkinson parking lot/boat launch has been greatly decreased. 2. Parking for fishermen along a popular portion of Riverside Drive has been eliminated. 3. A "slow no wake" rule was created from the Kmart area (Klement Park) boat launch to the Bark River bridge, this rule discourages fishermen from launching a boat to travel down stream. These above rules irritate both locals and tourists alike.

Tourism brings in over $115 million annually to Jefferson County. Tourism dollars are spent here on such things as food, shopping, lodging and recreation.

I recently read that the Rock River and Lake Koshkonong were rated in the top ten (#8) "best places" to fish in Wisconsin. Many cities welcome fishing tourist dollars and do everything they can to attract fishermen to their town. Imagine launching your boat only to find there is no place to park your truck and trailer. Imagine being elderly and wanting to fish your favorite destination on Riverside Drive, a place you’ve fished for fifty years, only to find you now have to lug your fishing poles, tackle box, lawn chair, minnow bucket and lunch, etc. a great distance because parking along the river was eliminated.

Think about this. You live near Shopko and want to drive your car to Salamones to get something to eat, but now a new sign was installed on the road that says the new speed limit is 3 miles-per-hour. Would you be frustrated? Well, that’s no different than making fishermen looking for a walleye dinner drive 3 m.p.h. in their boats that same distance via the river. But that’s what’s happening now. If you want to launch at the Kmart area boat ramp and fish down river, it’s a long, (slow-no-wake) ride. It just doesn’t make sense.

We have a great group of competent city workers and leaders in Fort Atkinson. I believe these city officials will listen to suggestions on how to further improve fishing opportunities in Fort Atkinson. We should explore shortening the "slow no wake" area on the river. Also, how about looking for ways to fund and build a new multi-ramp boat landing in or around Fort Atkinson? In addition, would the State of Wisconsin be open to discussions on re-opening parking on one side of Riverside Drive? These are questions worth exploring. Since I’ve always felt if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem, I have volunteered my time to the city if they would like assistance in working on these issues.

Now, back to the most recent issue in the news, which of course is the proposal to restrict fishing along parts of the new river walk. First of all, it’s my understanding that there have only been a small amount of complaints based on the thousands of people who hike and fish on the river walk. And these problems seem small, and I believe could be easily addressed, well short of the drastic step of eliminating fishing on a public walk way. Trash cans could be added to help reduce the trash problem and I believe our forward thinking city officials are already working on other ideas to improve the river walk with possible additions such as restrooms, etc.

Fishing is a wholesome activity enjoyed by our city youth and it should be promoted, not discouraged. I would much rather see our kids walk a block or two from their home and have free reign to fish on a historic, public river walk than to choose other less desirable activities. I’m sure we’d all like to see our kids sitting on the river bank with a pole in hand debating with their buddies whether to use a minnow or a nightcrawler, rather than somewhere else discussing what ingredients they need for a meth lab.

When I walked to the Fort Atkinson city council meeting recently I thought I would be the only one there trying to promote fishing in our town, a lone voice asking for change. I was happy to see an overflow, energized crowd, all there with the same opinion. That opinion was fishermen, hikers, and business can all co-exist on our great river walk. I whole heartedly agree.
Jim Furley
604 Shah Avenue
Fort Atkinson, WI 53538

Walleye Spawn Predicted for April 6th

Rock River Walleyes

Fishing Fever (from Janesville Gazette)

Today = 780.11

Or, 45.36 inches ABOVE the DNR summer water level order.

From NOAA

Rock County warden warns ice not safe

Don't let the winter-like weather fool you; the ice on area waterways is showing signs of spring.

Rock County DNR Warden Boyd Richter says the danger of venturing out on the ice is too great.

Some bodies of water look safer than others. He says though, he's been receiving reports of people falling through, particularly near the shoreline. As far as Richter's concerned, it's not worth the chance.

Richter says it's unfortunate that people are often willing to push the limits.

Slow No Wake In Effect

Memo

To: Ed Marshall, Town of Janesville
Tom Preny, Parks Director, City of Janesville
Sheriff Bob Spoden, Rock County Sheriff’s Dept.
Edgerton Reporter, Milton Courier, Janesville Gazette

From: Evan Sayre, Town of Fulton Chairman

Date: March 24,2008

Re: Slow No Wake

After further review of the water level this morning, the Town of Fulton has decided set the “No Wake” to remain in effect until further notice. We will continue to monitor the water levels.

If you have any questions, feel free to call the Town Office at 608-868-4103.

Thank you!

Officials watching river levels

From Sunday

The National Weather Service office in Sullivan has extended its flood warning for the Rock River, especially in areas near Afton and Newville.

...Everything now depends of how fast it warms up both South Central Wisconsin and areas upstream.

...“Usually when it melts off like this, it takes about four or five days for the water to come down from up north,” Marquardt said.

Stolen car fished out of Rock River

March 23, 2008

NEWVILLE-Law enforcement agents throughout northern Rock County responded to a report of a car in the Rock River on Sunday morning.

The call came into Rock County Dispatch at 10:46 a.m. and the caller reported the vehicle was up to its roof in the water.

The Rock County Sheriff’s Department, its water rescue and dive teams, Milton and Edgerton Fire and EMS, and the Wisconsin DNR warden all responded to the public boat landing on Ellendale Road near Newville.

Firefighters launched a boat out to the car, which was about 120 feet from the river’s edge, but didn’t see any victims in the car.

The dive team then searched the area around the vehicle, while the water rescue team searched the water and the shoreline down river and didn’t find anyone.

At about the same time officers were rushing to the boat launch scene, the Edgerton Police Department was responding to a report of a stolen car.

Jerad Lund, Edgerton, reported his 2006 Chevy Trailblazer was taken from his home overnight. Officers at the boat launch checked the submerged car and discovered it was a match.

The Trailblazer was pulled from the river, and checked again for victims. None were found. The search was discontinued.

“We’re convinced that there are no victims in the water,” said Rock County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Steve Selby.

The Edgerton Police Department is investigating the car theft.

First Day of Spring, YEA!

Interactive Weather Map HERE

Jefferson County - SLOW NO-WAKE

PRESS RELEASE

March 20, 2008


Sheriff Paul Milbrath and Jefferson County Emergency Management Director Donna Haugom report that due to possible wave damage from high water, Jefferson County has enacted the Jefferson County Slow No Wake Ordinance which will now be in effect on all rivers and streams within Jefferson County. Slow No Wake means that all water craft shall operate at the slowest speed possible and still maintain forward motion and steering control. Due to current conditions, it is recommended that boaters stay off rivers and streams until the water has receded to a safe level.

Chief Deputy Kevin Stapleton
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
411 S. Center Avenue Jefferson, WI 53549
(920) 674-7322

Here we go again: Up to 5 inches of snow expected

From the Madison Cap Times

...The only area river experiencing high water at this time is the Rock River, which has four flood watches ongoing at Watertown, Jefferson, Fort Atkinson and Newville near the south shore of Lake Koshkonong.

...Big snows have fallen here toward the end of March, including 11 inches on March 21 in 1886, 12 inches on March 22 in 1916, 10.4 inches on March 28 in 1931 and 10.9 inches on March 29 in 1972.

History-Making Flood??

From Madison's Channel3000

Media hype or bold prophesy??

Officials said that they expect the Rock and Crawfish rivers could reach record levels in the coming days...

They said that a very wet fall and the record snowfall this winter is to blame for what could prove to be history-making flooding...

If the predictions are right, many of the 60 or so year-round residents in the area will see a spring flood like they've never seen before...


The National Weather Service said that it's possible that both the Rock and Crawfish rivers will reach record flood stages. The Rock River last hit its all-time flooding record in 1993. The Crawfish River set its record in 1959, WISC-TV reported.

And finally, at the end of the story, the media adds their
caveat...

Watertown city Engineer Joe Radocay said his department is currently monitoring the levels of the Rock River and added everything seems to be normal.

And this from Watertown in an earlier post...

“Right now it's a pretty typical spring runoff,” Radocay said. “So far there is nothing unusual.”

Bingham Point Gauge = 779.33

Here is the response from Ms. Haugom from this previous post
What is Wrong with Jefferson County?

Brian -
There is an ordinance for Jefferson County covering high water. It automatically goes into effect when the gage at Bingham's point goes above 779.5 feet. That is the authority.

The Sheriff's Department posts the slow no-wake at all of the boat launches. They also have the authority to write tickets for violation of slow no-wake. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Donna C. Haugom
Director
Jefferson County Office Of Emergency Management

920-674-7450 (Office)
920-674-7585 (FAX)

donnah@co.jefferson.wi.us

RKLD fully funds the Fort Gauge

From the Daily Jefferson County Union

...Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management director Donna Haugom said the Rock River is slated to rise through this week next. Any precipitation in the Rock River basin will aggravate the potential flooding situation, she noted.

...Haugom said the recording gauge at the Rock River in Fort Atkinson is fairly new, having been installed in 1998; thus, the record level of 7.29 feet reached in 2004 is identified as the level of record.

Major Flooding Expected Upstream

From the Watertown Daily Times

...Watertown city Engineer Joe Radocay said his department is currently monitoring the levels of the Rock River and added everything seems to be normal.

“Right now it's a pretty typical spring runoff,” Radocay said. “So far there is nothing unusual.”

...“It is very important for individuals to be prepared by keeping materials on hand like sandbags, plywood, plastic sheeting, lumber and appropriate tools to use for emergency measures,” Haugom said. “We urge people to install check valves in building sewer traps to prevent flood water from backing up in sewer drains. Have a first-aid kit and portable radio available. Secure any outdoor items and have a plan on moving or elevating household belongings out of the way of flood waters.”

Previous Posts on Jefferson County

Why is Lake Koshkonong not Posted Slow-No Wake? HERE

Blackhawk Island HERE

From August 2007 Jefferson County

Don’t Let the Pier Protection Bill Die

The Pier Protection Bill (Assembly Bill 297) will be voted on by the Wisconsin State Senate this week. The legislative session ends on Thursday and if the bill does not pass the Senate before the end of session, the bill will die.

Governor Doyle has issued an executive order temporarily protecting existing piers. However, without permanent protection, any pier that does not meet the following dimensional standards could be declared illegal: (1) greater than 6-feet-wide; (2) extends beyond the 3 ft water depth level or extends to water that is deeper than necessary to moor a boat; and (3) has more than 2 boat slips for the first 50 feet of the water frontage plus 1 additional boat slip for each additional 50 feet of water frontage. Thousands of piers in Wisconsin could be impacted.

Please contact your State Senator at 800-362-9472 and ask him or her to please pass the Pier Protection Bill.

WI Assembly Bill 297 - Piers

Legislators pass new pier law
that expands size, exemptions

From the Vilas County News Review

...In a nutshell, the bill relaxes the basic pier standard from six feet to eight feet in width and allows loading platforms up to 300 square feet, as long as they are no more than 10 feet wide. Wider platforms must be 200 square feet or less

Assembly Bill 297 HERE

Not at Flood Stage, Yet

Today's Graph --

Graph from 2 weeks ago --

Lake Level = 779.16, and Rising

The melt-down is here -

Inflow from Jefferson, as measured at Fort Atkinson = 5,570 cfs

Outflow at Indianford = 4,870 cfs

For More Info - NOAA

What is Wrong with Jefferson County?

Hi Brian,
When you buy property and live on Blackhawk Island you really can't wine about the floods. So I won't. But how in the heck can I get some help convincing Donna Houghgram (Emerg. Mangmt) that we need a "slow, no wake order".

None of the other counties seem to have a problem enacting the necessary language. I know we've been here before. I love high water levels and am a supporter of RKLD positions on such. However, when the water is over my seawall and the river is ready to be ice free I really need some help getting the uninformed or flat out uncaring boaters to cut me some slack on the waves.

The waves are what does the damage, not the high water levels. Can you help? Do you have any contacts? Wouldn't you think that the county would want to protect the property values for the sake of the tax coffers at the least?

Any suggestions appreciated. RKLD does swing some weight in these areas doesn't it? We are a voting block at a minimum. Thanks Brian.
XXX

The DNR has misled taxpayers

Remarkable how the DNR is pulling nearly the same scam up North, as they are pulling with Lake Koshkonong here.
______________________________________


Letter to the Editor Lakeland Times

...My immediate concern is in regard to the DNR's attempt to manipulate water levels in the Manitowish Chain of Lakes to increase water flow into the Manitowish River below the dam. The Lakeland Times has printed numerous articles on this matter but has accepted the DNR's viewpoint as fact and done no real investigative journalism on this matter.

...For three years the DNR refused to perform an environmental impact study at the request of the Manitowish Waters chain of lakes defense fund.

...The DNR also refused to bring in an outside authority to perform the environmental impact analysis even with discussion to share the cost with the Manitowish Waters Chain of Lakes Defense

...Understand that homes and waterfront development both above and below the dam has been predicated on the stable water levels provided by the consistent operations of the dam over the past 70 years.

...Then at a strategically timed fall meeting when landowner attendance would be low, the DNR held a "listening" session to address issues residents of the Manitowish Chain might have.

...The DNR has misled the taxpayers of Wisconsin on this and many other projects. They repeatedly refuse to follow their own doctrine of environmental program planning and design.

...Property owners throughout the state beware; not just the Cisco, Eagle River, and Minocqua chains, you may be the next target for "help" from a runaway bureaucracy known as the DNR

...How many lawsuits have come against the DNR in the past 10 years? What is their win/loss track record and at what estimated cost to the taxpayers of Wisconsin?

Rock County Sheriff's Department wants a new patrol boat

ROCK COUNTY — Rock County Sheriff Bob Spoden says it's time to replace the patrol boat the department uses on the Rock River and Lake Koshkonong.

The boat they're looking at is expensive, but a $24,000 Justice Assistance Grant will soften the cost of the boat to the county. Spoden says the one they're pitching to the Rock County Board has special capabilities.

He says as the proposal moved through the County Board's committee system, it appeared to have a lot of support.

The boat proposal is on Thursday night's Rock County Board agenda.

Lake Wingra Project: Carp seining aims to improve water quality, angling

From the Capital Times

...Carp are considered the main reason for turbidity, or water cloudiness, in Lake Wingra, because their eating habits stir up sediments on the bottom of the lake, cutting off sunlight to desired lake plants needed to stabilize the lake bottom as well as suspending nutrients that fuel algae blooms.

...Radio tracking over the past two years showed carp congregated in the deep central basin of the lake in winter. Tuesday, carp were extracted by pulling long seine nets under the ice, then taking the nets out of the water through holes cut in the ice.

Game fish, including muskie, were quickly returned to the cold water, while the carp were kept captive in the nets under the ice until the nets were pulled.

Commercial fisher Steve Kallenbach of Stoddard, Wis., and his crew will try today to gather more carp, attempting to determine if the numbers of fish make future carp nettings commercially viable.

Lake Level = 778.34

8 inches below prediction of 779 from a week ago today.

2 feet above DNR summmer max order.

Inflow = 3,640cfs
Outflow = 3,3660cfs

Record snowfalls mean big meltdown

From USA TODAY

...In Madison, the 88.3 inches of wintertime snow shattered the all-time record of 76.1 inches, set in the winter of 1978-79, according to the National Weather Service.

Will We Flood?

According to the NOAA, yes.

The black data points represent a "conditional" prediction, given current conditions, precip forecast, snow melt levels, etc.

Flood stage is 780.00 and the graph indicates a 75% probability of reaching that level.

To reach last spring's flood level of 780.58 this spring - about a 40% probability; To reach last fall's flood level of 780.46 this spring - about a 50% probability.

What about the June 2004 level of 781.49 - about a 12% probability.

Historically, we have a 3% probability of reaching that same lake level. So this spring, we are 4x more likely to reach the June 2004 lake level - although, as of today, it is not a good bet.

Understanding this GRAPH



The blue data marks are what the lake levels of done historically. Clearly, we are running above the historical levels, given the record amount of rain from last fall and the record amount of snow from this winter.

Lake Levels Rising

Lake Level rose to 777.82 - with NOAA predicting water levels to rise to 779 - or 14+ inches, one week from today.

From NOAA

Plan to control fish virus opposed

From the WI State Journal

DNR airlifting trees

And you thought the DNR's budget was underfunded...

From the Green Bay Press Gazette

The Department of Natural Resources says it will airlift 25 trees into the forest’s Northern Unit on Wednesday.

The DNR says the Army National Guard’s West Bend Unit will help. They’ll use helicopters to lift the trees

.