Prior Lake Spring Lake Watershed District
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Articles posted by Jaime Rockney

Lake Level Update – April 29, 2019

Posted by Jaime Rockney - April 29, 2019 - News

Prior Lake is no longer under a slow no-wake condition as of
this morning.  The Watershed District
will continue to keep the low-flow gate open until lake levels drop and risk of
high water has diminished.  For current
lake levels, click here.

The Watershed continues to check the outlet structure for
blockages.  The structure has been
relatively clear lately, but if vegetation starts building on the structure,
staff will inspect more frequently to ensure the water is flowing freely from
the lake. 

For more information on the Outlet Structure operation, click
here.

View Full Article

SPRINGTIME LAKE LEVELS UPDATE – April 3, 2019

Posted by Jaime Rockney - April 3, 2019 - News

Important messages for today:

  • Prior Lake has crested, and the level is decreasing
    (903.89’ as of this morning)
  • Spring Lake level and overall flow into Prior Lake both continue
    to decrease
  • The City does not sell sand bags or provide free sand when
    Prior Lake is below 903.9’
  • Dry conditions continue; some rain possible over the
    weekend
  • The City’s response to potential flooding will continue to
    be in accordance with its
    Flood Response Policy

Although lake levels are decreasing, the City remains prepared to initiate additional flood response measures if lake levels again increase and hit certain trigger points. Prior Lake crested at a level of 903.93’ on Monday and is now slowly decreasing as water discharges out the Prior Lake Outlet Channel. Lake levels can be found on the PLSLWD website.

View Full Article →

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Low-Flow Gate to be Opened

Posted by Jaime Rockney - March 1, 2019 - News
Opening the Low-Flow Gate

The Prior Lake Outlet Structure’s low-flow gate is scheduled to be opened next Tuesday, March 5. The low-flow gate’s primary purpose is to lower lake levels and create more storage on the lake for snow-melt and spring rains when risk of flooding is anticipated. The DNR has pre-approved the District to open the low-flow gate in March and April if necessary.

The Prior Lake Outlet Structure automatically stops discharging when the lake level drops below 902.5 feet.  When the low-flow gate is open, lake levels can drop slightly faster and to (no lower than) 902.0 feet.  Rain, snowmelt, and flow from upstream lakes may prevent the lake from dropping or getting this low before the end of April.  When the lake is above 903’, the low-flow gate is ineffective as the outlet pipe is limiting the amount of flow leaving the lake. Current lake levels can be found here. 

Open water at Outlet Structure in winter because outlet is flowing

The Outlet Structure has been discharging water continuously since September 2018.  Even though the lake is frozen, the water at the Outlet does not freeze when levels are above 902.5’ because the water is moving quickly.  Lake levels have been relatively steady because the amount of water flowing in from Spring Lake and other tributaries has been relatively equal to the amount leaving Prior Lake. By opening the low-flow gate now, the amount of water leaving the lake should be more than coming in so the lake should slowly drop. Please note, the low-flow gate does NOT prevent flooding, but may reduce the severity of flooding.  For more interesting information, pictures, and videos about the Outlet Structure and low-flow gate, please view this StoryMap here.

View Full Article Low Flow Gate, low flow

Alum Treatment Scheduled to Begin

Posted by Jaime Rockney - May 16, 2018 - News

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The Spring Lake alum treatment is scheduled to begin!  Set-up will begin at the Spring Lake public boat access (2025 Lakeview Drive, Jordan) on Sunday, May 20 and treatment will begin on May 21.  The treatment may be complete as early as Friday, the 25th, but could possibly go into the weekend.  Depending on weather conditions, the alum barges might treat late into the evening, or even overnight, in order to get done as soon as possible.

You are welcome to boat during the treatment, but please keep boats away from the barge and at slow speeds to avoid disturbance of the treatment.

If you are interested in seeing the operation in person, please join us at the Spring Lake boat launch on Monday (May 21) at 2pm.  We will be giving a brief demonstration and can answer questions at the demonstration.

Visit www.springlakealum.com to view updates and learn more about the alum treatment.  You can also sign-up at the bottom of the page to receive daily email updates during the treatment.

View Full Article

Lake Level Update – June 5, 2017

Posted by Jaime Rockney - June 5, 2017 - News

If you happen to be keeping an eye on the lake levels, you may have noticed that Prior Lake started rising a little over the weekend.  With no rain and hot weather, this is not what you would have expected to see. 

Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District staff were at the Outlet Structure last Friday to check for debris.  There was a little more vegetation than normal on the structure, but nothing to be too alarmed about.  However, vegetation likely started clinging to the Outlet Structure grate shortly after leaving because the lake level stopped dropping and actually started increasing slightly on Saturday which continued until this Monday morning.  When staff visited the structure this morning, there was a very large quantity of vegetation caught on the grate which was much more than normal. The vegetation build-up had caused the water flow to slow way down, which is the most likely reason the lake level rose over the weekend.  The vegetation was removed immediately and you should expect to see a downward trend in lake levels again shortly. Note: The graph showing the rate of water flowing out of Prior Lake on the District website does not show actual flow measurements but is an estimated flow rate calculated using the lake level and past measurements.  See water level and flow graphs for Prior Lake here.

The Watershed and City of Prior Lake staff will be visiting the Outlet Structure at least daily to remove any vegetation until the build-up slows down.  If needed, the City of Prior Lake staff will be removing vegetation over the weekend as well. 

It is not uncommon for vegetation to build-up to occur on the outlet structure, but certain times of year are much worse than others.  This year, the vegetation seems to be building up on the grate earlier in the season than normal.  The vegetation growth could be due to a milder winter which allowed sunlight through the lake ice, allowing plants to start growing during winter.  Most of the lakes in the Watershed are experiencing higher than normal plant and algae growth this year.  The vegetation build-up could be caused by boat propellers cutting up the vegetation, natural curlyleaf pondweed die-off occurring earlier than normal, or die-off from landowners treating aquatic vegetation.

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Prior Lake – Spring Lake Watershed District

The District covers about 42 square miles in Scott County, MN. Water in the PLSLWD flows mainly from the southwest to the northeast through Spring, Upper Prior and Lower Prior Lakes, and then north through the Prior Lake Outlet Channel to the Minnesota River near Valley Fair amusement park.
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Prior Lake - Spring Lake Watershed District
4646 Dakota Street SE
Prior Lake, MN 55372

Phone: (952) 447-4166
Email: info@plslwd.org

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