County to pump Lake Olaf

By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Residents on Lake Olaf could find relief from rising water levels beginning next year.

Otter Tail County approved a plan Tuesday to begin lowering the level of Pelican Rapids-area Lake Olaf by discharging lake water toward the Pelican River.

Total cost of the project is $660,000. Delaying the project until next year allows the county to apply for state and federal grants.

Problems are rising at Lake Olaf as fast as the water levels.

County Highway 30 which runs between the east and west bays of the lake northwest of Pelican Rapids is barely usable. The county has elevated the road 1-1/2 feet since last year.

“We’re taking the right approach by planning to pump water from Lake Olaf and having it eventually drain into the Pelican River,” Highway Engineer Rick West told the county board Tuesday. “This is the best option.”

In early May four options were offered to area residents for review during an informational meeting held at the Pelican Rapids Public Library. Most of those in attendance were residents of Norwegian Grove Township where the lake is located.

A less costly option would be to raise the level of the road an additional two feet, to an elevation of 1,301.4 feet — but that is believed to be only a temporary fix, according to county officials. Another option included diverting water northward to Whiskey Creek and discharging water westward toward Deerhorn Creek.

“Raising the road (County Highway 30 between the west and east bays) would be just a temporary fix,” Langan said, “but pumps are permanent and could be used when necessities dictate,” said Consultant Jeffrey Langan with Thief River Falls-based Houston Engineering.

Major features of the project include pump station construction at Deadman Lake south of Lake Olaf’s west bay and culvert installations through several township roads. Additional work will include sewer pipe installation and taking erosion control measures, Langan said.

“Water would meander to the Pelican River, and project leader will need to work with landowners close to wetlands,” Langan said.

Building up Highway 30 is estimated at $450,000. The Whiskey Creek diversion is estimated at $624,000 and the Deerhorn Creek option would cost about $544,000. Those options, although less costly than the Pelican River proposal, include some serious roadblocks to successful water diversion.

West said the water problem at Lake Olaf is similar to that of Johnson Lake east of Dalton along Highway 12.

“The problem with building up a road is that you might have to raise it more than once,” West said. “That was our experience at Johnson Lake. How much more groundwater will flow into a lake, and how much more the lake level might rise, is speculative at best.”