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.

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.

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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 25^th, 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.

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.