Friends of Cherokee Marsh

Lake Levels

News and links relating to the lake-level policy for the Yahara chain of lakes.

Madison's Request to Review the Lake Levels

Madison's Response to the DNR's response. April 2, 2009.

The DNR's response to Madison. November 10, 2008.

Madison's request to the DNR. August 15, 2008.

Lake level resolution. Passed unanimously on Aug. 5.

Policies and Recommendations

Yahara Lakes – Water Level Short-term Actions. Draft.

Dane County's Flood Mitigation Plan. Approved by the Dane County Board in 2004.

Yahara Lakes Advisory Group. Links to the final report from 2002 and a 2008 status report.

Lake level orders. Defines the policy set in 1979 for controlling water levels at the Tenney Park dam.

In the News

Lake-level letter: The untold story. Isthmus, November 26, 2008.

DNR on water levels: Hurry up and wait. Includes a link to the DNR's letter to the City of Madison. Isthmus, November 13, 2008.

Action on authorized lake levels urged. Wisconsin State Journal, July 22, 2008.

A Touchy Lake Mendota Issue. Wisconsin State Journal, March 30, 2008.

Getting too high on the lake: Mendota's elevated water is a disaster waiting to happen. Isthmus, June 28, 2007.

Studies and Data

Lake Level Data. Information from the Dane County Land and Water Resources Department.

USGS real-time and historical streamflow and lake level data.

Madison Lakes and Nearby Waters Presentations from the North American Lake Management Society’s 25th Symposium in 2005. Includes:

Could Urbanization of the Yahara Watershed Cause Both Increased Flooding and More Boat Groundings?- Kenneth Potter, UW-Madison, Dept. Civil & Environmental Engineering. Page 7 shows how Lake Mendota's yearly maximum levels have been rising over the years.

Groundwater Interactions with the Madison Lakes, Dane County, Wisconsin – Kenneth Bradbury, Wisconsin Geological & Natural History Survey

Simulation of the Effects of Operating Lakes Mendota, Monona, and Waubesa, South-Central Wisconsin, as Multipurpose Reservoirs to Maintain Dry-Weather Flow. Report on USGS study, 1999.