Tune to 940 AM WFAW Thursday 10.1.09

Koshkonong on the Radio -

RKLD Chair Brian Christianson will be a guest on Fort Atkinson radio at 9:00 - 9:30am.

Morning Magazine program with State Rep. Andy Jorgensen and Speaker Mike Sheridan

Wetlands Club Explores Dredging too

Meeting occurred 9.29.09

Staycation hooks the big one

Janesville Gazette

...My friend Phil Symons and I were sitting in his boat in that downpour last Tuesday. We spent more than 3 hours working the waters off Blackhawk Island where the Rock River flows into Lake Koshkonong.

...Fortunately, the net held up, and I soon scooped up Phil's fish, which measured 26 inches.

1st cold, Canadian blast brings rain, storms

Chicago Tribune

...Case in point: Severe thunderstorms rolled across portions of northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin Sunday, heralding the arrival of autumn's first genuinely chilly blast of Canadian air.

3 Slide gates open; others closed

Lake Level - 776.56

and rising

DNR SUmmer order still in effect - 776.33 summer max/776.20 summer target

Many streets flooded as heavy rain sets September record

WI STATE JOURNAL

Madison got a thorough rinsing Tuesday, as 3.63 inches of rain fell from the morning until the mid-afternoon, setting the record for rainfall for any day in September in any year in Madison.

Assembly backs board appointment for DNR secretary

Milw Journal Sentinel

Dam fix requires Rock River drawdown

Janesville Gazette


Q: What parts of the river will be affected?

A: The river will be lowest upstream from the dam.

Don Bush, fishery biologist for the Department of Natural Resources, thinks the impact will be most significant 2 to 3 miles upstream.

Presny agreed, adding that the impact will be felt about halfway to the Indianford Dam.

Downstream, water levels will be extremely low throughout downtown and all the way to the Monterey Dam, Presny said.

Holding Back the Flow on Lake Koshkonong

It has been, what, 3 years, since ALL gates have been 100% CLOSED at Indianford (??)

August 2007 - record rainfall
Winter 2007-08 - record snowfall
Spring 2008 - record snowmelt
Spring/Summer 2008 - record rain - record flood
June 2009 - record cold monthly average temp
July 2009 - record cold monthly average temp

Lake level 776.15

all gates closed.

Lake Level

776.15

Inflow - 312 cfs
Outflow - 1,020 cfs

Since September 1, with gate operations, we have been successful in keeping the lake level at or slightly below DNR summer target at 776.20 -- Not always an easy chore this time of year.

Currently, both wicket gates are closed.

5 of 6 slide gates are closed.

We will close the last slide gate before the end of the week to assist Janesville with their drawdown to repair the Centerway Dam.

Temporary Drawdown of the Rock River to Repair Centerway Dam Beginning September 20

.From the City of Janesville -


The Rock River water level above the Centerway Dam in Janesville will be lowered in order to repair or replace several missing flashboards that were damaged during the flood of 2008. North American Hydro applied for the temporary drawdown of the Rock River between the Indianford Dam and Centerway Dam in order to replace the boards in the structure. The drawdown will begin Sunday, September 20 and is expected to take 6-7 days. The reservoir will be lowered no more that 6 inches a day until a drawdown of about 3 and a half feet has been reached. The river will be at its low point for approximately 4-5 working days to make repairs to the Centerway Dam.

All areas immediately upstream of the Janesville Centerway Dam, some further upstream and possibly some downstream will be affected by the drawdown. The Rock River will remain drawn down until October 6. If you have any questions related to the river drawdown,

contact Greg Brzozowski of North American Hydro at (920) 293-4628 ext. 25.

City Boat Launches to Close Next Week due to the Rock River Drawdown

In conjunction with the Rock River drawdown, the City will close all boat launches once the river reaches a low enough level to be deemed unsafe. Those who have boats on the river may want to put their boat on its lift or bring it ashore in the coming days. Those who need to bring their boats ashore using the boat launches should do so by next week to ensure the boat launches will be open. More information on exact closure dates will be provided in the near future. For questions concerning the Janesville boat launch operations in the coming weeks,

contact Tom Presny of The Janesville Parks Division at 755-3026.

Lagoon Neighborhood Association

Spoke to the Lagoon Assn this AM and their concerns about the mouth of their lagoon filling with sediment.

We'll have the ACOE take a look there on their next visit - in the meantime, gave them the application for the DNR's maintanence dredging permit.

Thanks for having us!

A Perfect Day On Lake Koshkonong

Lake level = 776.16 and steady

both wicket gates closed

5 of 6 slide gates closed

Temp = mid 70s to low 80s

Not a ripple on the big lake.

Perfect!

Emails on Eagle Spring Lake Posting

Brian -
We follow the RKLD activity closely here and often cite your case against the DNR to our own lake district.  We saw that you posted the article from the Milwaukee paper and wanted to add to it.  The issue here is like yours, a very small group of people on neighboring LuLu Lake who have teamed with the DNR to reach a pre-determined outcome for Eagle Spring Lake. 

By very small, I mean there are only 2 houses on LuLu - LuLu is only accessbable by a private road off of Nature Road - and by pontoon from Eagle Spring Lake.

A nature conservancy as recently as this past June, joined the DNR to co-purchase a  private parcel; see - DNR Buys Private Land Near Eagle Springs Lake

This is the motivation of the DNR - and like Lake Koshkonong, the DNR and a few deep pocketed local donors to the DNR are incrementally getting their way and keeping all boat traffic off this navigatble water way.  Even the DNR's report endorsing this purchase for over $1m cite the same exact issues that they cite against Koshkonong's water levels.

Thanks for posting everything on your science page. We will borrow from it where needed.
NAME ASKED TO BE WITHHELD
____________________

Conservancy

The Conservancy made its first acquisition at Lulu Lake in 1986 and, as of November 6, 2007, owns 505 acres. Another 1,450 acres are being protected by private individuals and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources State Natural Areas Program.


We have expanded our work in this area to include the entire Mukwonago River Watershed.

Area residents fear DNR will drop Eagle Spring Lake's water level

Sound familiar?
___________________________________

Milw Journal Sentinel

...Such a drop in the level of the shallow-water lake will force many of the 240 property owners to extend their piers and shore stations farther into the lake at costs ranging from $500 to several thousand dollars, said Tom Day, chairman of the Eagle Spring Lake Management District. If they don't, they won't be able to get their boats into water.

An even greater fear is that the lower lake level will reduce property values because there will be less navigable water on the lake, Day said.

"Because suddenly it will be a less desirable lake for boating unless you want to just kayak, canoe," lake resident John Mann said.

...Lake management district officials, in turn, have asked the DNR to issue an order to allow the lake to permanently operate at the higher level.

But they believe, based on their reading of a DNR environmental assessment of their request, that state officials already have made up their minds and will order the water level reduced.

...He and Nate Cobb, a lake management district board member, countered that lowering the lake level would dry out about 12.6 acres of wetlands in the lake watershed. That land might then be overrun by invasive plant species such as buckthorn and purple loosestrife, they said, though the DNR assessment says native plant species could take hold in those areas.

Indianford to Traxler About to Lose Depth

If you live below the Indianford Dam, then you may want to get your boats off your lifts this week
________

This may be irrelevant to RKLD, but since we got a notice in our Fulton Board packets, I'm passing this along FYI.

Tom Presny sent an alert that "Sometime in September, they expect to receive approval from FERC (DNR already has approved) about a one-week drawdown to an average 3.5 ft water level in the pool north of Centerway Dam" This is so they can make some flood-related repairs to Centerway Dam.

Levels Dropping

Lake = 776.11 and dropping....

Both wickets gates closed.

5 of 6 slide gates closed.

Cleaning Lake Wingra

WATCH VIDEO

New Map Posted

Rock River Watershed

Posted on the ABOUT US page....

Doyle unswayed by donations in DNR chief fight, aide says

Milw Journal Sentinel

...The seven-member Natural Resources Board lost the power to appoint the secretary of the DNR in 1995...

...Sensenbrenner said Doyle wants to keep the current law "because he has seen the law operate under both systems, and he sincerely believes the current system is more effective.

"You really have more accountability when the DNR secretary is appointed by the governor."

...To think that the DNR will become free of politics if the secretary is appointed by the citizens is naïve, he said.

Lake Freeze Dates

HISTORY

For your local tavern pools....

News Page New Postings

Several updates on the NEWS PAGE

Carving Duck Decoys

New on the Community Page

Koshkonong History

History Page

New stuff posted here...

Summer’s cold shoulder

Milw Journal Sentinel

...Madison shivered through its coldest July on record...

...Madison's average July temperature - a combination of the daily highs and lows - was 65.7 degrees, 5.9 degrees below normal. That easily beat the previous record of 66.7 degrees set in 1891.