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Department of Natural Resources. 101 S. Webster Street . PO Box
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Chapman Lake at Stanley to be drained for bridge & dam construction
Contact(s): Gary Lepak, DNR water management
engineer, Eau Claire, 715-839-3761
EAU CLAIRE – A complete drawdown of
Chapman Lake at Stanley will occur over the next few weeks to
accommodate the rebuilding of both the County Hwy. O bridge and the
Stanley Mill Dam, officials report.
Both the aging dam and the connected bridge
are in poor condition. The drawdown is necessary so both can be removed
and replaced.
Located in Chapman Park on Stanley’s west
side, the dam creates Chapman Lake, an impoundment of the Wolf River in
eastern Chippewa County. The original dam was authorized in 1880. It was
rebuilt in its present form in 1967.
The existing dam lies partly beneath the
County O bridge. The new dam will be moved to the upstream side of the
new bridge. This will allow for two separate structures.
The lake level will be lowered no more than
six inches a day – allowing fish and other aquatic creatures time to
adjust – until the sill of the dam is exposed. The sill is about 6 feet
below normal water levels. The drawdown will take about two weeks. Most
of the fish in the lake will escape my moving up or downstream.
Downstream flows will be monitored to keep the river within its banks.
Any remaining water in the flowage will stay in place until the bridge
and dam are removed as part of construction.
The project is slated to begin sometime after
the middle of August and should be completed before winter.
Because the city might dredge the exposed
sediments, Chapman Lake might not be refilled until the spring of 2011.