By Tracy Ouellette
Editor
The water level behind the East Troy dam, also known as the Mill Pond dam, on Honey Creek in the Village of East Troy will be lowered in order to inspect the dam and conduct a stream study for the Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System wastewater permit, according to a press release from the Department of Natural Resources.
Village of East Troy Public Works director Mike Miller told the Village Board Aug. 17 the lack of rain over the summer made this a good time to bring the water level down enough to do the needed work.
“As you drive by the dam you can see it’s pretty much empty. It’s a good year for it to be drawn down,” Miller said. “We’ll be able to replace the board and do an engineering review.”
In a memo to the board, Miller outlined estimates for the board replacement at about $1,000, engineering need at about $8,000, sampling for phosphorous impacts at $4,000. The board approved using money from the fund balance for the project at Miller’s recommendation.
Should repairs be needed on the dam after the inspection is done, Miller’s memo stated the board could decide to use surplus funds dedicated to the dam from the fund balance.
According to the memo, the last time the dam was fully inspected was in 1999. There was another inspection done in 2004, Miller wrote, but the dam was not drawn down at that time. The DNR recommends full inspections every 10 years, Miller stated in the memo.
The controlled drawdown of Honey Creek will begin on or about Sept. 14, according to the DNR. The lake level will be lowered about 6 inches each day, until the water level has been lowered about 2 feet. The lake level will remain in a drawn down condition until Oct. 1, 2016.
In fall 2016, the lake will be refilled at a rate of no more than 6 inches per day, while still releasing a minimum flow downstream.
The 12-foot high dam is owned by the Village of East Troy and impounds East Troy Pond.
