Minnesota works to replenish lake level after draining from mechanical failure
In a statement on Monday, the Minnesota department of natural resources (DNR) said that it was responding to the issue at Lake Alice in William O'Brien state park while noting that the malfunction in question had resulted in a 'significant drawdown of the lake level'.
The department as of Monday said that 'only a stream remains on Lake Alice at this time' and warned visitors that water recreation on the lake will likely be affected for 'at least four to six weeks'.
The lake's swimming beach is not currently usable, and the drawdown has 'caused a fish kill in the lake', officials added.
Lake Alice is typically 9ft (2.7 meters) deep and spans 26 acres (10 hectares), according to the DNR's website.
In a Monday afternoon update on social media, officials with Minnesota said that Lake Alice is 'spring-fed lake with an earthen dike that holds water back', and it has a 65-year-old water concrete control structure that 'can be manually operated to manage lake levels by allowing water to flow out into the St Croix River'.
'Due to heavy precipitation last month, water levels on Lake Alice were steadily increasing,' said the statement from officials. The statement added that when water levels became 'high enough that water was flowing over the dike between the lake and the St Croix River, DNR staff opened the water control structure's valve to release excess water from Lake Alice'.
'Upon attempting to close the valve over the weekend, staff discovered the control structure closure mechanism had failed and was stuck open, which has caused the lake to drain,' the statement continued.
The statement said staff had since been working to resolve the issue, but a 'timeline for restoring lake levels is not known yet'.
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The Guardian
21 hours ago
- The Guardian
Minnesota works to replenish lake level after draining from mechanical failure
Minnesota officials are working to restore water to one of the state's lakes after 'a mechanical failure of the water control structure' there caused it to drain significantly over the weekend. In a statement on Monday, the Minnesota department of natural resources (DNR) said that it was responding to the issue at Lake Alice in William O'Brien state park while noting that the malfunction in question had resulted in a 'significant drawdown of the lake level'. The department as of Monday said that 'only a stream remains on Lake Alice at this time' and warned visitors that water recreation on the lake would probably be affected for 'at least four to six weeks'. The lake's swimming beach is not currently usable, and the drawdown has 'caused a fish kill in the lake', officials added. Lake Alice is typically 9ft (2.7 meters) deep and spans 26 acres (10 hectares), according to the DNR's website. In a Monday afternoon update on social media, officials with Minnesota state parks and trails said that Lake Alice was 'spring-fed lake with an earthen dike that holds water back', and it had a 65-year-old water concrete control structure that 'can be manually operated to manage lake levels by allowing water to flow out into the St Croix River'. 'Due to heavy precipitation last month, water levels on Lake Alice were steadily increasing,' said the statement from officials. The statement added that when water levels became 'high enough that water was flowing over the dike between the lake and the St Croix River, DNR staff opened the water control structure's valve to release excess water from Lake Alice'. 'Upon attempting to close the valve over the weekend, staff discovered the control structure closure mechanism had failed and was stuck open, which has caused the lake to drain,' the statement continued. The statement said staff had since been working to resolve the issue, but a 'timeline for restoring lake levels is not known yet'.
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
‘I just don't know how it happens': Minnesota lake nearly entirely drained after ‘mechanical issue'
A lake near the Twin Cities has reportedly been completely drained due to a "mechanical issue." Local officials are working to restore Alice Lake in William O'Brien State Park back to its typical depth of nine-feet deep after it was accidentally drained. Recent rainstorms in the area flooded the lake, causing its waters to spill over into the nearby St Croix River. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources workers opened a valve allowing some of the excess water to flow out, but that valve was left open and nearly the entire lake drained. "When the water level was back to what it should be, the staff attempted to close that valve, but the mechanism that closes that valve was not functioning, and the valve could not be closed," Sara Berhow of the state's Parks & Trails agency told CBS News. Berhow said that state workers are fixing the water control structure that malfunctioned and will restore the lake to its previous state. "Once the valve is able to be closed again, the streams will replenish the water in the lakes, so it will naturally come back to the level," she said. According to the state's Parks and Trails department, once the valve has been repaired it will take approximately a month before the lake returns to normal levels. Seeing the lake in its current state — empty — was a shock to local residents. "It's crazy, for this to happen, I just don't know how it happens," one resident, Dane Zierman, told the broadcaster. "It's insane. You just start driving down, and you see all these weeds and there's just no water." Unfortunately, many of the lake's fish didn't survive the ordeal. When locals approach to shoreline, they are met with a field of dead fish where water once was. "As soon as you get on the dock, you just see all of these dead fish. There's some big guys in here, too, some big giant carp, some big northerns, it's just devastating," Zierman said.
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
Minnesota works to replenish lake level after draining from mechanical failure
Minnesota officials are working to restore water to one of the state's lakes after 'a mechanical failure of the water control structure' there caused it to drain significantly over the weekend. In a statement on Monday, the Minnesota department of natural resources (DNR) said that it was responding to the issue at Lake Alice in William O'Brien state park while noting that the malfunction in question had resulted in a 'significant drawdown of the lake level'. The department as of Monday said that 'only a stream remains on Lake Alice at this time' and warned visitors that water recreation on the lake will likely be affected for 'at least four to six weeks'. The lake's swimming beach is not currently usable, and the drawdown has 'caused a fish kill in the lake', officials added. Lake Alice is typically 9ft (2.7 meters) deep and spans 26 acres (10 hectares), according to the DNR's website. In a Monday afternoon update on social media, officials with Minnesota said that Lake Alice is 'spring-fed lake with an earthen dike that holds water back', and it has a 65-year-old water concrete control structure that 'can be manually operated to manage lake levels by allowing water to flow out into the St Croix River'. 'Due to heavy precipitation last month, water levels on Lake Alice were steadily increasing,' said the statement from officials. The statement added that when water levels became 'high enough that water was flowing over the dike between the lake and the St Croix River, DNR staff opened the water control structure's valve to release excess water from Lake Alice'. 'Upon attempting to close the valve over the weekend, staff discovered the control structure closure mechanism had failed and was stuck open, which has caused the lake to drain,' the statement continued. The statement said staff had since been working to resolve the issue, but a 'timeline for restoring lake levels is not known yet'.
