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Wisconsin River Report June 1, 2007

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

 

Rains Provide Minor Relief, but Drought Conditions Continue

 

Despite several days of moderate rainfall over the past week, river flows and reservoir levels are still well below normal according to Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company (WVIC) of Wausau. The dry conditions are a result of three consecutive dry springs in the Wisconsin River Basin and generally dry summers the past two years. According to the National Weather Service, the central river basin is classified as “abnormally dry”, most of the northern river basin is classified as “moderate drought”, and the far northern portion of the basin is classified as “severe drought”.

Over the past week, rainfall totaled 2.14 inches in the northern basin above Tomahawk and 1.57 inches in the central basin between Tomahawk and Wisconsin Rapids. Normal rainfall for a week in May is about 0.8 inch. While the weekly total was well above normal, total rainfall for the month of May averaged 3.27 inches in the northern basin, 92% of normal. In the central basin, total rainfall for May averaged 3.15 inches or 88% of normal.

Unfortunately, the rains did not generate a significant amount of runoff. The flow of the Wisconsin River at Merrill averaged 2,028 cubic feet per second (cfs) for the past week, up from 1,500 cfs earlier in May, but still only 65% of the May normal. At Wisconsin Rapids river flow averaged 3,126 cfs for the week, up from 2,500 earlier in May, but only 48% of normal. Even on the lower river where there has been more rain this spring, the weekly flow of the Wisconsin River at Muscoda averaged only 7,421 cfs or 60% of normal.

The rains did produced enough runoff to raise the water level in WVIC’s Spirit Reservoir near Tomahawk by 1.1 feet to 0.9 feet below maximum and increase the water level in WVIC’s Willow Reservoir near Hazelhurst by one foot to 4.9 feet below maximum. Rice Reservoir near Tomahawk rose 0.6 foot to 2.4 feet below maximum. However, Rainbow Reservoir near Lake Tomahawk only rose 0.2 foot and is still 7.4 feet below maximum. The water level in the Eau Pleine Reservoir near Mosinee remained unchanged at 0.9 foot below maximum. Total storage in WVIC’s system of 21 reservoirs now stands at 71% of capacity, up from 67% of capacity last week.

 

 

 

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