Record storm could bring even stronger winds today

Milw Journal Sentinel

...The 956 millibar reading from the current system is the equivalent of what can be found in a Category 3 hurricane, forecasters say.

Mud to sell, not to sling

Daily Herald

...With $350,000 from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Mud to Parks program, the agency has begun building two huge earthen bowls that will be used to store up to 130,000 cubic yards of dredged sediment.

The material, mostly topsoil that erodes from farm fields and other areas in Wisconsin, will be dried and sold to municipalities, landscapers and other

Next Board Meeting

Thursday - Nov 4th.

Go to Meeting Info tab for details.

ALL GATES OPEN

776.42

Need to get below 775.77 on November 1st - next Monday.

8 inches to drain....

High court declines to consider lake level hike

From Jefferson Daily Union

...The higher water level order requested by the lake associations only would have an effect in late summer months when water levels generally fall, he said. The additional 7.2 inches of water would allow for easier navigation then but it only would increase the depth of the river at the dam if there is enough water present, he noted.

Appellate Court told to Issue an Opinion

In what has been a lengthy and odd ordeal just got longer.

After waiting on the Appellate Court for 19 months to issue their opinion - an unheard of amount of time by judicial standards - the RKLD appeal was punted to the State Supreme Court without an opinion from the Appellate Court.

Curious minds wanted to know how often this happens, where judges kick-it upstairs due to a case's complexity and statewide significance. Not much.

RKLD took this a good sign anyway, thinking that we saved ourselves some time that would have been otherwise required to wait on a ruling on a petition for the high court to accept our case.

In less than 30% of the cases referred directly to the Supremes did the Supremes reject taking the case without Appellate Court's opinion. Again, we took this as a good sign.

But alas, the Supremes did indeed reject accepting our case and it is back in the hands of the Appellate Court.

For how long?

No clue.

What will be their opinion?

No idea - but if they see a statewide importance as stated, hopefully they rule in RKLD's favor.

Either way, all parties will likely petition the Supremes.

And then the waiting game begins again.

Public Workshops Conclude

Thank you to everyone who attended one of the three public workshops with our PAS partners WDNR and US Army Corp of Engineers.

RKLD purposely moved the workshops to accommodate the wide-ranging schedules and residences of our constituents.

In May, we met at the Fort Atkinson High School's library on a Thursday night. In July, we met on a Sunday in the tent at the Anchor Inn, Newville. And in September, we met on a Saturday at The Buckhorn, on Charley Bluff.

We are pleased to say the strategy worked, with more than 500 people total attended the 3 workshops.

ALL GATES CLOSED

Here's a trivia question for everyone -- When was the last time all gates at the Indianford Dam were 100% closed?

Lake level is at 776.06 - below the DNR Summer Minimum of 776.10 and more than 4 consecutive days of decreasing inflow from Jefferson.

Because no rain is forecast for the next week, we closed all gates even though the DNR Winter Drawdown typically begins tomorrow, October 15th.

RKLD is mandated to be below 775.77 on November 1st.

The crest of the spillway is at 775.27 so even with closing all the gates, the lake and river will continue to drop.

Oct 2010 Gate Changes

Lake Level at 776.19 = DNR Summer Target level achieved by Mother Nature.

5 consecutive days of decreasing lake levels.

Both Wicket Gates were closed on Tuesday.

Slide gates will begin closing this weekend.

Stay tuned for Winter drawdown mandate