Chapman Lake Project

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Chapman Lake at Stanley to be drained for bridge & dam construction

News Release Published: July 17, 2009 by the West Central Region

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.