Dam break empties Upper Spring Lake

“There is no Upper Spring Lake anymore.”

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Warden Ryan Ellifson said this morning that the levy that was used to dam the Scuppernong River, northeast of Palmyra, washed out early Monday morning, draining the 17-acre, 11-foot-deep lake into the neighboring Lower Spring Lake in Palmyra.

He said heavy rain over the weekend pushed the water levels over the top of the privately-owned levy, washing out a large portion.

“It starts out as a slow process as the water starts to go over the top,” Ellifson said. “The water starts (things) to erode at the top of the levy itself.

“Then right at the base, the water starts to swirl and cut back,” Ellifson added. “As a result, the levy actually washed out and broke.”

Meanwhile, in Jefferson, the heavy rains and high water levels have left the sewage treatment plant close to capacity of about 5 million gallons per day, and caused the intersection of Main and
Dane streets to be closed.

“We are asking businesses and residents to limit unnecessary uses of water,” Jefferson City Administrator Tim Freitag said. “We need to remove as much water from the sewer system as we can — that is our goal.”The limitation is expected to last at least until the river crests which, for now, is slated for Friday but might change as more rain is in the forecast.

“Getting through town is a struggle between the Highway 18 construction and the high water closures,” Freitag said.

He recommends travelers take State Highway 89 around, and to find an alternate route around the city and not come downtown because it will take a long time to get through.

(The full story appears in the June 10 Daily Union).