Wisconsin River Report - April 24, 2003

Wisconsin River Report

April 24, 2003

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

Rainfall Totals Exceed Four Inches in Central Valley

Six straight days of rain over central and northern Wisconsin totaled over four inches in the Marathon County area according to Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company of Wausau. Rainfall amounts were somewhat lower in the northern basin where Tomahawk reported 3.4 inches over the six days, St. Germain reported 3.1 inches, and Phelps reported 2.3 inches. Rainfall totals were also lower south of Marathon County as Wisconsin Rapids reported 2.2 inches during the six-day rainy period and Prairie du Chien reported less than one inch. Total precipitation for the year is now above normal throughout the central and northern Wisconsin River valley, a dramatic turnaround from just 10 days earlier when total precipitation for 2003 was well below normal.

The rains pushed river flows above the 2-year flood level on many tributary rivers as well as on the main stem of the Wisconsin River. The highest tributary flows were seen on the Big Eau Pleine River, where the peak flow approached the 5-year flood level, and on the Rib River. The flow of the Wisconsin River at Rothschild rose to 31,800 cubic feet per second (cfs), slightly above the 2-year flood level of 27,700 cfs. The flow of the Wisconsin at Wisconsin Rapids also peaked above the 2-year flood level of 33,200 when it reached 35,000 cfs over the past weekend.

Storage in the northern reservoir system shot up from 55% full to 70% full over the past week as excess water was stored for future use. Three of WVIC’s five major reservoirs are now full; Rice (Nokomis), Spirit, and Eau Pleine. Both the Willow and Rainbow Reservoirs, located in the far north, are still about 4 feet below full. However, water levels in both reservoirs are expected to rise another 1-2 feet over the next week as runoff from the recent rains continues.

Reservoir Water Levels			River Flow			Precipitation
Location	Feet Below Max	Weekly Change (Ft.)	Location	Weekly Average (cfs)	Monthly Normal (cfs)	Location	This Week (In.)	Annual Total (In.)	+/- Annual Normal
Rainbow	4.6	+2.6	Eagle River	N/A	484	Upper Basin	1.13	6.60	+1.07
Willow	4.3	+2.3	Tomahawk	3,183		Central Basin	0.83	6.10	+0.17
Rice	0.7	+2.2	Merrill	10,377	3,850	Temperature
Spirit	0.5	-0.3	Rothschild	18,974		Location	Ave.	Normal	+/-
Eau Pleine	0.5	-0.1	St. Point	27,506		Willow Reservoir	38	40	-2
Reservoir Storage			Wis. Rapids	27,837	9,283	Wausau	42	44	-2
Northern	70%	+15%	Petenwell	25,336		Prairie du Chien	46	48	-2
Overall	77%	+11%	Muscoda	21,117	17,185

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