Down, Down, Down

Our lake continues to fall. Again, this is a planned event. Our lake is actually a flowage or reservoir that was created by damming the Chippewa River back in the 1920s. Xcel Energy operates the dam and typically draws the lake down beginning at this time of year to create capacity for spring snow melt and rain. However, this year the plan is to draw the lake down much further than usual (eight feet rather than the usual two to three). A plan developed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource, Xcel, and cooperating local agencies calls for the more significant drawdown in an effort to kill invasive vegetation. This has been a highly controversial move and is strongly disliked by many who believe that the effect instead will be to destroy fish habitat, reduce water oxygen levels, and kill frogs, turtles, and other aquatic species. Some believe that fish populations will be seriously negatively affected, while others claim that exactly the opposite will occur. We simply don't know what to expect, since we have so little relevant knowledge and experience. Nevertheless, we are beginning to see things we have never seen since we bought our property eight years ago. Most of the area boat ramps have become exceedingly difficult or impossible to use, and navigation on the lake has become even more dicy than usual for those boats that are still out in the main body of the lake. Most of the lake has depths of around 25 feet or shallower (there are just a few areas that are much deeper), but there are many, many areas (usually navigable) that are at depths of only three to ten feet. So, even the main body of the lake will become interesting and visually different.

I took two pictures this morning while the sun was shining, one looking each way past the stairs coming down to our dock area. The water is already down nearly four feet. If our dock was still in its summer position, rather than in storage on the shore, it would be completely uncovered (supports and all). We are seeing all kinds of old dead wood that typically lies, water-logged, on the bottom of the bay. Lots of lake bottom is starting to show too. If it wasn't all such soft muck, it would be interesting to wade out and explore it further. As it is, you can only get about four or five feet from the shore before it becomes too soft and you sink down quite deep. We are wondering what it will all look like when we come back in the winter for skiing or snow-shoeing. I wonder if the muck will freeze hard enough to support us, and I wonder how much we will have to dodge the many pieces of deadwood that are sticking up now.

Just for reference, here is what it looks like when the lake is at a typical summer level. We hope there will be an above-average snowfall this winter and good levels of spring rain to allow the lake to be refilled. Then we can go out and see what has happened to the fisheries.