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Wisconsin River Report August 25, 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

 

Drought Continues in August

 

The dry conditions that began in spring have continued through late summer with rainfall in the northern Wisconsin River basin running less than half normal during August according to Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company (WVIC) of Wausau.  Total rainfall thus far in August has averaged only 1.57 inches in the area from Tomahawk north to the Michigan border, 48% of the normal of 3.25 inches. Rainfall was slightly higher in the central basin between Wisconsin Rapids and Tomahawk, but still almost 20% below the August normal.

River flow and reservoir storage continue to suffer from the extremely dry conditions during the summer of 2005. The average flow of the Wisconsin River at Eagle River was only 169 cfs last week, 57% below the seasonal normal. At Merrill the weekly average flow of 1,084 cfs was 42% below normal and farther downstream at Wisconsin Rapids the average flow of 1,684 cfs was 40% below normal.  Water released from WVIC’s reservoir system has provided about 60% of the river flow at Merrill and Wisconsin Rapids during August.

Overall storage in the system of 21 reservoirs used to manage the flow of the Wisconsin River has now dropped to only 46% of capacity, the lowest late-August level since 1977. Normal storage near the end of August is 65% of capacity. The Rainbow Reservoir in northern Oneida County has now dropped to 10.0 feet below full. The Willow Reservoir near Hazelhurst is 9.1 feet below full, Rice Reservoir (Lake Nokomis) is 5.0 feet below full and Spirit Reservoir near Tomahawk is 7.7 feet below full. Many of WVIC’s natural-lake reservoirs in the north are also well below their summer target levels because of the drought conditions. The Big Eau Pleine Reservoir near Mosinee has fallen to 9.3 feet below full.

            Air temperatures were slightly below normal in the central and southern basins with the weekly average temperature averaging 2 degrees above normal at Wausau, and 4 degrees below normal at Prairie du Chien. The water temperature in the Wisconsin River has been in the low 70’s for the past week, very close to the normal water temperature in late-August of 72 degrees.

 

 

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