Area residents input on lowering Lake Olaf

By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Friday, May 9, 2008

The best way to lower the level of Lake Olaf northwest of Pelican Rapids, according to area residents, is to discharge lake water southeast toward the Pelican River.

A drawdown of the lake is necessary, and four options were offered to area residents for review Thursday evening during a public meeting held at the Pelican Rapids Public Library. Most of the close to 40 people in attendance are residents of Norwegian Grove Township where the lake is located.

With a drastic rise in the level of water at Lake Olaf, County Highway 30 which runs between the east and west bays of the lake is usable, but just barely. That’s because a temporary gravel road of 1,299.2 feet is just above the lake level of 1,298.6 feet.

Adverse effects from rising water also are seen along the shoreline at Lake Olaf as well as shoreland owned by residents of Norwegian Grove Township. There are no inlets or outlets at the lake.

A less costly option than diverting water into the Pelican River, but one believed to be only a temporary fix, would be to raise the level of the road an additional two feet, to an elevation of 1,301.4 feet.

The other two options include diverting water northward to Whiskey Creek and discharging water westward toward Deerhorn Creek.

“Finding the exact path of sending water south to the Pelican River would not only be difficult, but the overall costs would be close to $707,000,” said Jeff Langan of Houston Engineering, Thief River Falls, which has studied the various options.

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 two options, although less costly than the Pelican River proposal, include some serious roadblocks to successful water diversion.

In addition to landowner and environmental issues, the Whiskey Creek and Deerhorn Creek options would include a combination of pumps, sewer pipes, culverts and open channels. It would take a year to lower the level of the lake four feet with either of these options.

Also a concern with choosing Whiskey Creek or Deerhorn Creek is tapping into the Buffalo-Red River watershed that includes 1,379 square miles in Clay, Becker, Otter Tail and Wilkin counties. Representatives of the watershed district were in attendance Thursday evening and addressed their concerns.

County Highway Engineer Rick West said the water problem at Lake Olaf near Pelican Rapids 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.”

West also said that detours are costly to both the county and townships affected by high water levels.

Langan said that Thursday’s public input meeting in Pelican Rapids was phase one. The next step will be to incorporate recommendations into a report, conduct engineering and environmental reviews, finalize a feasibility study and make a presentation to the County Board of Commissioners.

More public hearings will take place before a final decision is reached by the commissioners. All five county board members attended Thursday’s gathering in Pelican Rapids.

“You have no control over Mother Nature,” West said. “Whatever we do, and no matter what option we choose, making a successful drawdown of Lake Olaf won’t be cheap.”