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Committee briefed on Nelson Lake drawdown, stop-log work and Lake Loretta aquatic invasive species survey
Summary
Conservation staff said Nelson Lake is about 10 inches below ordinary pool after a drawdown for boat-ramp repairs and expects to reinstall the final stop log this week; a grant-funded point-intercept survey for curly-leaf pondweed is underway on Lake Loretta.
Conservation staff told the Sawyer County Land, Water and Forest Resource Committee that Nelson Lake remains about 10 inches below its ordinary water level after a drawdown conducted last fall to repair a boat ramp. The department expects to reinstall the final stop log later in the week and anticipates the lake will be at full pool by the Fourth of July weekend if rainfall is sufficient.
"As of Monday we are still 10 inches below where ordinary water levels are associated for Nelson," the conservation staff member said. The staff member explained the county cannot block all outflow because doing so would dry up downstream reaches, so the county must maintain a base flow through the system while restoring lake levels.
Separately, staff reported a point-intercept survey is underway on Lake Loretta under a grant approved last year to identify and map curly-leaf pondweed and other aquatic invasive species. The survey supports targeted control measures.
Why it matters: Nelson Lake water levels affect boat ramps, docks and downstream flow; the Lake Loretta survey is part of a grant-funded AIS control program that will inform treatment decisions. County staff also noted ongoing dam checks, erosion-control site visits and nonmetallic-mining inspections as part of routine conservation work.
