Lake Koshkonong at 776.10

Doing the best we can with what Mother Nature and the Closed gates at Indianford will allow.....

Heat Wave Smashing All-Time Records

Heat Wave Smashing All-Time Records

The temperature pattern this year got a jump start from way back at the tail end of the winter. Multiple days of record highs were set from the central Plains and Rockies to the Great Lakes during March. Chicago had nine days in a row of record highs spanning March 14 to 22.

How to beat the heat? Officials urge finding ways to cool off in sizzling temps

How to beat the heat? Officials urge finding ways to cool off in sizzling temps

Scorcher: Thursday will be hottest day in nearly 7 years

Scorcher: Thursday will be hottest day in nearly 7 years

Lake Koshkonong Maintains...

Water Level = 776.16

DNR Summer Mandated Target Level 776.20

Too Low for your piers and boat lifts??

Of course it is!

Dredging Vinnie Ha Ha on Lake Koshkonong?

Brian, I live on Vinnie Ha Ha Rd. I have my dock currently out over 100 yards, and my pontoon boat is over 200 yards out from shore. Do I have any options with the DNR that you are aware of. Is personal dredging a possibility? Everywhere else I find on the lake, people have their boat lift up to their dock. I fear I just own a home on the most shallow part of the Lake. Any advice you can give would be helpful. It also seems if there was a lake wide dredging approved some day, that my part of the lake is not covered by it and I might always have this problem. Thanks, Jim

Jim - Vinnie Ha Ha is indeed a troublesome area. That bay is filling in with sedimentation from the wetlands to your NE - or the right side of the river heading upstream towards Fort. We have timed aerial photos dating to the 1950s that illustrates the erosion that is filling-in the VHH bay. No one refutes this fact but those wetlands are owned by the state and DNR. The only method to curtail this erosion is to armor that shoreline - which to date, the DNR has rejected. The Lake Mgmt Plan that is currently being written with RKLD, DNR and the US Army Corp will list a series of options to improve navigation, safety, recreation. RKLD will invest your tax dollars in your VHH bay with limited dredging when we can convince the state and DNR to rip rap their shoreline to your NE. Without that, we would be spending your tax money every X years to dredge. We will present an option at the RKLD annual meeting on July 28. Basically, it will say once DNR stops their erosion in your bay, RKLD will look to dredge and then, the recommendation will likely be some sort of community-neighborhhod pier - to economize our resources. Admittedly, this was a concept 2 summers ago suggested at local public hearings and was greeted with skepticism. We know everyone wants their own piers place conveniently out their own backyards, but without a cost effective alternative, VHH bay will demand longer and longer piers that will require DNR safety lights, etc. Hope I answered your question and Concern. RKLD is very familiar with the hydraulics of VHH. We just need to find a sustainable and economical solution. Best Brian Christianson

Holding Back Lake Koshkonong

With all 6 slide gates remaining closed, and both wicket gates fully closed, the lake as remained stable at 776.23 - 776.25 - 776.24 today.

Even with diligent gate closures, without rain, July 4th will likely be a low-down boating holiday.

What can happen when dry weather meets gates left open

From 2001 - RKLD NEWS TAB

More Catching-up with Art

Art - 

The Indianford Dam gate operations as mandated by the DNR requires inflow to drop from Jefferson for 3 consecutive days, then we need to be at DNR Target Level of 776.20, then we are required to close the wicket gates first, located inside the powerhouse, then we can begin closing the 6 slide gates, all the time monitoring the telemetry stations to insure we stay between 776.2 and 776.33, which is the DNR Summer Max level.

Stabilizing the lake level is not an exact science, but after 10+ years of owning the dam, filing daily reports with DNR and the City of Janesville, and remaining fully compliant with DNR operating orders, we have a pretty good feel for how to manipulate the gates while watching weather forecasts and inflows from the other streams and creeks that may receive rainfall further North and East and discharge into Koshkonong.

Thanks!

Brian

Catching Up on Public Comments - Scott

Hey Scott - 

If I were those folks living below the Indianford Dam, I would be in constant contact with the City of Janesville regarding North AMerican Hydro's operations of the Dam at the Centerway Bridge in Downtown Janesville.

I will find the article from 2005 I believe that the Gazette published that shows what happens when the RKLD fulfills its gate operations mandate at Indianford, yet the dam operators in Janesville fail to take into account our gate closings upstream.

You should also know that RKLD is mandated to file DAILY reports to the DNR on gate operations and water levels/flows.  These reports are also shared with North American Hydro and the city of JAnesville.  So it should never be a surprise to anyone downstream when we must close gates upstream.

THanks

Brian

US temperatures in March, April and May hottest by far

It's a different kind of spring fever; US temperatures in March, April and May hottest by far

ALL GATES CLOSED

All 6 slide gates are 100% closed and both wicket gates inside the powerhouse are 100% closed as of 10am today.

More Public Comments about Water Levels

Brian,

We took a ride down thhe river yesterday to the dam and found that 3 of the 6 slide gates were closed. My question is why the other 3 aren't as the water level is below the summer "target" level as of today. I guess after 50 years here I still don't understand that gate closing procedures. Can you tell me when they all get closed?

Art

Edgewood Shores Rd.

Lake Level Stabilized

Lake Level Stabilized at 776.16.

But with No Precipitation in the forecast, we will be closing the last 3 remaining slide gates this AM.

Public Comment about Water Levels

Hi Brian,

I was ready to launch my boat below the Indianford Dam at about noon and the water level was about usual for this time of year.  I had to run over to Harvard and when I returned at about 4 p.m. the water level had dropped a full 5 inches or more!  I've lived here for 15+ years and have never seen it draw down so fast.  By 10:00 this evening it had dropped another full inch.

It feels like the dams aren't coordinated.  Is this what we can expect from the new county wide river authority?  

Cheers!

Scott 

Gate Operations

At 1pm today - 3 of 6 slide gates were fully closed.

Gate Changes

At Noon today, both wicket gates were fully closed.

776.19

Today, we achieved DNR Summer target level.

Think it is too low?

Support your RKLD's litigation; now accepted by the WI Supreme Court.