Safety Chain

Has been lifted out at the Indianford Dam.

A sure sign that our recreational boating season is being put to bed for the next 5 months.

Enjoy the serenity of the lake and river.

Lake Koshkonong Gate Ops

776.44

All Slide gates and both wicket gates are fully open.

Warn Day - let's go boating.....

Indianford Gate Ops - Lake Koshkonong

On June 9th, all gates were fully closed and have not been opened until last night.

Both wicket gates are 100% open.

With all the rain, we are at 776.51

The annual draining of the Lake to meet the DNR winter drawdown mandate has begun.

Enjoy the fishing while you can!

Good Lake Level, Great Forecast for Lake Koshkonong

More balmy weather is expected in the Chicago area today, and temperatures could reach 80 by Wednesday before plunging to the 40s by the weekend.

The National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature of 73 degrees for Chicago today. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected through the early afternoon.

The warm weather, expected to last through Thursday, is due in part to winds bringing warm air up from the south, said Gino Izzi, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service in Romeoville. Wednesday could be even warmer, he said.

"It looks like we'll have a better chance of more sunshine, and we could have temperatures getting close to 80," he said.

Highs for this time of year typically average about 60 degrees, but most falls do have a few days in the 70s, Izzi said. The record high for Wednesday is 83, set in 1963.

By Saturday, the high is expected to reach only into the upper 40s.

Lake Koshkonong Rising

Level today - 776.4 (above the DNR Summer Max of 776.33)

We will be opening the wicket gates later tonite.

Will Winter Return on Lake Koshkonong?

ANESVILLE — The winter of 2011-12 was unusual for many parts of the United States.
"For a large portion of this country, it ended up being the warmest winter we've seen in the last 50 to 60 years," said Jack Boston, expert senior meteorologist at AccuWeather in State College, Pa.
So after the rare, mild winter of 2011-12, the big question on many people's minds is this: Will winter return with a vengeance in 2012-2013?
To get an indication, we talked to the experts:
n AccuWeather, State College, Pa.
Last year's mild winter is "definitely not going to happen this winter," Boston said.
Even though Janesville can expect below normal precipitation and above normal temperatures, "it's not going to be nearly as mild as last winter. But it also is not going to be anywhere near one of our worst winters, either," he said.
"It's going to be a little less snow than normal and a little bit above normal temperatures," Boston said.
According to AccuWeather, average winter high and low temperatures in Janesville are 34.7 and 17.5 degrees, while the normal snowfall in Janesville from October through March is 33.9 inches, he said.
Overall, AccuWeather is expecting this winter to be influenced by a weak El Nino with a tendency for snowstorms to miss southern Wisconsin.
"The storms you do get sometimes are those little Alberta clippers that bring 2 to 3 inches of fluff. You'll probably see a few of those. But I definitely don't think you'll see the big ones that come roaring out of the plains and dump a foot," he said.
"Temperatures most likely are going to average about 1 degree above normal for the entire winter. And as far as precipitation goes, we think that's going to be below normal," Boston said.
-- The Farmers' Almanac
Based on the almanac's time-tested secret formula, Janesville will experience a "cold and snowy" winter.
"Across the eastern and central parts of the country—chiefly those areas to the east of the Rocky Mountains—it will be a colder than normal winter, with many locations experiencing above-normal precipitation.
"From the Great Lakes into Northeast, snowier than normal conditions are expected. Winter temperatures should also average from two to four degrees below normal over the eastern two-thirds of the country, and unseasonably chilly temperatures will reach as far south as the Gulf Coast."
-- The Old Farmer's Almanac
Forecasts, also derived from a secret formula that has been refined and enhanced with state-of-the-art technology and modern scientific calculations, predict "above-normal temperatures" for this area with the "coldest periods from late December through early January and in mid-January and early and mid-February."
Also, "precipitation and snowfall will generally be below normal with the snowiest periods in early to mid-November, early January and early February."
-- National Weather Service, Sullivan
Although the climate prediction center's official winter outlook comes out later this week, Ed Townsend, meteorologist, said "a mild, dry winter" has been forecast for southern Wisconsin, including Janesville.
"The chances are 40 percent greater to have above-normal temps (of 25.6 degrees) and 30 percent less for below normal temps," he said. Snowfalls here "have equal chances for above, below and near normal snowfall."

Lake Koshkonong Weather Outlook

But even a normal winter with 47 inches of snow will seem like a lot compared to last winter when we didn't even have to shovel 30 inches of the white stuff.


National Weather Service previews Wisconsin's winter - 620 WTMJ - Milwaukee's Source for Local News and Weather

Rock River Water Trail Inventory, Analysis and Plan

I'm pleased to announce completion of the Rock River Water Trail Inventory, Analysis and Plan.  The plan document provides the vision, structure and organization of a water trail on the Rock River through the eleven counties of Wisconsin and Illinois.  Maps were developed for each of the eleven river sections along the water trail.

 

The Plan unifies under the service mark of ROCK RIVER WATER TRAIL a framework for identifying suitable carry-in access sites and boat launches, parks, campsites and cultural facilities that enhance the water trail experience.  The Plan addresses water trail and corridor management needs, dam safety, opportunities for connecting with other regional trail systems and approaches to marketing and promoting the water trail.

 

A unique element of the plan is a consistent set of standards developed to identify segments of the river with common characteristics and facilities and to link each segment with an appropriate water trail experience.  The set of skill level and environmental type for each water trail segment provides to users an easy way of selecting routes that meet their needs and interest and match their abilities and expectations.

 

The Plan also recognizes the Rock River Water Trail as a recreation resource for many users in addition to those with paddle craft.  Users of motorized boats for pleasure cruising, water skiing, fishing and hunting; boaters who wish to access parks and overnight camping sites from the river; and individuals accessing the river for fishing, bird watching or hiking will all benefit from the water trail plan for the Rock River.

 

The Plan was presented to the Wisconsin and Illinois Departments of Natural Resources and the National Park Service.

 

We invite you to view the Plan at www.rockrivertrail.com.

 

Preparation of the Plan has been quite a task and we appreciate your assistance.  We are pleased with the document and believe it will be an important building block to establish a multi-use system of trails along the beautiful Rock River through Wisconsin and Illinois, as envisioned by the Rock River Trail Initiative.

 

Sincerely,

Greg Farnham, Coordinator

Rock River Trail Initiative

Hustisford, Wisconsin

920 386-2450

920 296-8771  Cell