The following is an update on lake levels and management strategies for the Yahara chain of lakes provided by the Dane County Land and Water Resources Department.
Elevation Change from 5/13/2011 Summer Max
Mendota 849.85 -0.10 ft - 0.25 ft
Monona 845.32 - 0.05 ft +0.12 ft
Waubesa 844.85 -0.06 ft - 0.15 ft
Kegonsa 843.30 +0.12 ft - 0.20 ft
We have received 8.81 inches of precipitation since March 1, 2011. This compares to a normal of 8.30 inches.
Lake Monona had a slight bump of 0.19 ft following the rain event this past week. We expect Monona to continue to decline over the next couple of days.
As lakes have been nearing mid range of their respective water levels, we are slowly stabilizing flow from one lake to the other. We have decreased flow out of both Mendota and Kegonsa as they are both at their respective mid range levels. We continue to maintain full flow at the Babcock Lock and Dam.
Currently there is no vegetation present in the river between Lake Waubesa and Kegonsa. We are deploying harvesters to areas where historically vegetation grows earliest in the summer
