According to the local news, this April is the wettest on record! That's great news for our lake. I know, though, that there are many questions about the lake level and the dam.
Right now, the water level at the dam is 8.95. It has been at about this level for the past week. The dam is designed so that water will flow over the top whenever the lake is higher than 8.8, and that has been happening for a few weeks. The water will continue to flow out until the lake level gets back to 8.8.
Per the Town of East Troy ordinance, if the water at the dam exceeds 8.8 between May 1 and October 1, the district will post slow-no-wake signs. So, if the water level doesn't drop quickly enough by May 1st, the PLPRD will post those signs. If we need to post the signs, we will also share this information on our website and send an email to all riparian owners. Those signs would stay up until the water recedes to 8.8 or until the end of May.
The tradition and past practice on Potter Lake is to keep the lake open for recreational activities between Memorial Day and Labor Day. If the lake level is still above 8.8 on May 16th, the date of our Spring Meeting, the board members and our Operation and Maintenance staff will discuss, after the meeting, opening the dam manually. Our objective is to allow normal boating activity by Memorial Day without unnecessarily depleting the lake's water supply. Once the lake level is at 8.8, we would also remove the slow-no-wake restrictions.