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Feature Stories (Vol. 109 No. 16--4/18/2007)

Area water levels low

By Caroline Downs

Spring snowstorms, including last week’s blizzard, have appeared to fill the lakes and marshes of the Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, but those appearances are deceptive.

Refuge manager Dan Severson was pleased to see the runoff, especially the heavy, wet snow from March storms, but the effects from last summer’s meager rainfall linger and water levels remain low. "It’s going to be pretty dismal this year, at this point," he said.

The upper lake, which extends from a dam north of Kenmare to the border with Canada, has an elevation of 1781.70 feet after rising about 10 inches so far. "That’s not much at all," Severson said.

Two small marsh units have filled, including one by Tasker’s Coulee and another north of Kenmare.

The lake at Kenmare, which revealed an extended shoreline for much of the fall and winter, has come up two feet.

The water level in the marshy Unit 6 has increased more than two and a half feet. However, the water is still at least four inches below the spillway and no water is flowing out of that unit, according to Severson.

The lower lake south of Kenmare, also known as Unit 7, received about seven inches of runoff from the watershed on its eastern shores. "The water in there is not high enough to flow over the water control structure," Severson said.

Finally, water in the small, marshy Unit 8 near Baden has come up more than a foot, but the level remains below average for the spring season. "That unit has always filled up in the past, since I’ve been here," said Severson. "It’s still four or five inches below the spillway."

Runoff from the winter snowpack has been finished since the end of March. Mild temperatures have completed thawing the soil, so last week’s precipitation was absorbed where it fell.

Severson checked the lake levels again Monday afternoon, but determined the recent snow had little impact on those water amounts. "All that moisture must have gone into the ground," he said.

He predicted small wetlands on the refuge and private land would likely dry up again this summer, based on low spring runoff amounts. However, spring and summer rainstorms could change that outcome.

Low water levels at Kenmare could provide one benefit. The water control structure in Unit 3, just west of Kenmare on Ward County Road 1, has been failing and needs repair again. "It’s happened a couple of times," Severson said, "including the first time in 1993."

He explained that Ward County owns the bridge, but the refuge is responsible for the water control structure itself. Erosion under the bridge abutment will be addressed in a construction project slated for late summer.

"We will rebuild the sheet pile weir," said Severson. He explained the basic process will involve digging out the problem area, re-packing it, and filling in underneath. "We’ll tie into the existing structure. Wing walls will go into the roadway and prevent erosion."

The work will actually take place along the edge of the roadway, and Severson did not anticipate any road closures during the construction period. "Maybe flagging and one-lane traffic at times," he said.

Ward County Engineer Roger Kluck has reviewed and approved the repair plans. The work is available for contractors’ bids at this point, with actual construction planned to begin after waterfowl finish nesting there in July. Water levels tend to decline in that area after July, so the project can take place as the lake dries naturally or as water is pumped out of the unit.

"We’ll start working in August and September," Severson said. "We’re in good shape for the time frame when we want to do this construction. I’m happy about that."

Updated information about the construction project and access on the county road will be published at a later date in The Kenmare News.