Home | Reservoirs | Hydroplants | Wisconsin River | Recreation | News | Data & Links | Public Safety | Water Levels | Hydropower Facts |

 

Wisconsin River Report January 14, 2005

Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company 2301 North Third Street Wausau, WI  54403 For more information contact Sam Morgan Phone: 715.848.2976, ex 301 Email: morgan@wvic.com

 

Winter River Flow Higher Than Expected

 

When rainfall averaged 35-40% below normal during the summer of 2004 and reservoir storage dipped to only 47% of capacity by mid-fall, the outlook for winter river flow was grim according to Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company (WVIC) of Wausau. However, significant rainfall in October and several small runoff events in November and early December bolstered natural river flow and pushed reservoir storage up to 57% of capacity prior to the onset of winter. As a result, winter river flows are running within 10-15% of normal, rather than the 25-30% below normal levels that were expected.

The flow of the Wisconsin River at Merrill in the northern basin averaged 1,823 cubic feet per second (cfs) this week, 12% below the January normal.  At Wisconsin Rapids in the central basin the flow averaged 2,620 cfs or 15% below normal. In the lower basin at Petenwell Dam the flow of 4,033 cfs was slightly above normal.

Storage in WVIC’s reservoir system dropped 2% last week and stands at 52% of capacity. The annual winter drawdowns of WVIC’s sixteen natural-lake reservoirs are now over half completed. The natural-lake reservoir drawdowns began in mid-November and are scheduled to be completed by late February. The annual winter drawdowns of WVIC’s five large man-made reservoirs are on schedule to reach complete drawdown by the end of March.  Water released from the reservoir system is providing about 30% of the flow in the Wisconsin River this winter.

Current snow depths in the northern basin are 7-9 inches in Lincoln County, 9-11 inches in Oneida County, and 11-13 inches in Vilas County. Normal snow depth in the northern basin is 13 inches in mid-January. In the central basin, Portage and Wood counties are reporting 2-3 inches of snow and Marathon County measured 3-4 inches of snow cover. Normal mid-January snow depth is 8 inches in the central basin.

            Air temperatures were above normal throughout the basin the past week, especially in the northern basin where the weekly average temperature was 8 degrees above the January normal. But based on the forecast, the upcoming week will be a completely different story with temperatures dropping well below normal.

 

 

- 30 -