Lake Delton Returns

The disappearance of Lake Delton early last June was difficult to comprehend. It so suddenly and violently drained due to flooding caused by extremely heavy rains.

Now, after months of work, Lake Delton is set to reappear.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

At 10:15 this morning, the last of three gates on the newly renovated dam on Lake Delton shut - the first step to fill the lake that lost pretty much all of its water in a catastrophic breach last summer.

With traffic once again traversing County Highway A next to the dam, the next item on the agenda to bring Lake Delton back to life is letting the lake fill back up.

Meanwhile, Department of Natural Resources employees powered an air boat over part of the lake bed where water has pooled this morning to dispense a poison that will eradicate carp.

"Things have gone surprisingly well," said Meg Galloway, DNR chief of dams and floodplains. "It's atypical for this type of project to move so quickly."

Since water flows from Mirror Lake through Dell Creek and into Lake Delton before eventually flowing over the dam and down into the Wisconsin River, the water level on Mirror Lake was recently lowered.

The lower water level is allowing the DNR to eradicate carp – a non-native species – with the poison before more water flows into Lake Delton and dilutes the poison to a sufficient level so other species will not be affected.

Carp eradication is the first step in restoring the fish in Lake Delton, said Andy Morton, the DNR's Lower Wisconsin Watershed Basin supervisor. Officials are working on a plan to stock the lake with largemouth bass, bluegill, walleye, crappie and forage fish.

Morton estimated the number of carp remaining in parts of Lake Delton at hundreds. Once the poison takes effect, the carp carcasses will drop to the bottom of the lake.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

It's good the DNR is taking this opportunity to rid the lake of carp.

Water will be allowed to back up in Lake Delton until the lake is about half full, the level that engineers want throughout the winter. Then in the spring the lake will be allowed to fill up in time for anglers, boaters and the skiers at Tommy Bartlett's.

Just how long it will take to fill Lake Delton to the 12 foot mark next to the dam is dependent on weather. A steady snow was falling this morning.

Officials said it could take a couple of weeks for Lake Delton to fill to that mark.

Welcome back, Lake Delton!