Cloudy / 63° F
Pumping to relieve water near road in Johnson Lake area
Published 10:58am Thursday, December 1, 2011The permanent outlet and pumping station on the north side of Johnson Lake, east of Dalton, became operational on Monday. Water is heading northward, into the Pomme de Terre watershed system.
“We’ll keep pumping water from the lake until it gets down to about five to 10 degrees above zero,” said County Engineer Rick West to members of the county board on Tuesday. “We’ll be careful not to have any damage to the outlet system, as a result of severe cold.”
The Highway 12 roadway near Johnson Lake, east of Dalton, was down to one lane of traffic earlier this year. High water limited traffic to one lane near the lake, with east-bound and west-bound drivers taking turns.
A dry spell later on resulted in a lower lake level, with both lanes of the roadway open. Water, however, is precariously close to the eastbound lane, on the north side of the lake.
West also told the board that a permanent outlet at Iverson Lake, south of Fergus Falls, will begin when a control gate and fish screen arrive. The permanent station will be positioned on the southwest side of the lake, where a temporary outlet was located.
The Iverson Lake emergency temporary culvert was approved in September 2010 by the county board. The action was needed in order to keep water off Highway 25, near the southwest side of the lake.
The permanent outlet will be located near the Buse Town Hall, across the lake from the former Intrstate 94 rest stop that was demolished this year due to the high water. Iverson Lake’s water flows from the southwest side outlet, downstream to Orwell Dam.
