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

 

Wisconsin River Report April 1, 2004

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

 

Spring Snowmelt Runoff Well Controlled

 

Despite a snowpack that contained almost double the normal amount of water, spring snowmelt runoff in the Wisconsin River Basin did not produce significant flooding according to Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company of Wausau. The water content of the snowpack averaged 7 inches over the Vilas-Oneida County area, compared to a normal of about 4 inches in that area. The snow water content in Lincoln and Marathon Counties also averaged close to 7 inches, with the spring normal being about 3 inches. By the end of March, all the snow in the central portion of the basin had melted, but some snow cover still remained in the far northern portions of the basin.

Following several warm days and a small rainfall event on March 28^th, river flows peaked on the central portion of the Wisconsin River on March 30^th. At Merrill the flow reached 10,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), well below the 2-year flood level of 13,300 cfs. Downstream at Rothschild the flow hit 34,000 cfs, just slightly below the 5-year flood level of 38,000 cfs. The higher flow at Rothschild was the result of a localized rainfall event that dropped over two inches of rain on the upper end of the Eau Claire River watershed. This storm caused significant flooding problems in the city of Antigo located just downstream from the center of the rainfall event, but no flooding problems at any other locations.

As the snowmelt runoff worked its way downstream, the flow of the Wisconsin River at Wisconsin Rapids peaked at 38,000 cfs on March 31^st. This flow was above the 2-year flood level of 33,000 cfs, but well below the 5-year flood level of 46,400 cfs. At the city of Portage the flow rose to 35,000 cfs on April 1^st. The peak flow at Portage was near the 2-year flood level. Peak river flows from snowmelt runoff are expected to reach the lower portion of the Wisconsin River on April 3^rd and 4^th. At Muscoda the flow is projected to reach about 34,000 cfs, well below the 2-year flood level.  

Reservoir storage increased sharply last week as snowmelt was stored in WVIC’s reservoir system to provide flood control on the Wisconsin River. The water level in the Big Eau Pleine Reservoir near Mosinee rose almost 15 feet and now stands only 1.6 feet below maximum. At the Spirit Reservoir near Tomahawk the water level rose over 8 feet and is now near the full mark. In the three other large reservoirs located farther north, water levels rose 1 to 2 feet, but are still well below maximum. The water levels in these reservoirs will continue to increase as the remaining snow in that area melts over the next week.

 

 

- 30 -