Lake Arthur levels hold steady despite recent storms
Moraine State Park is expected to receive an influx of visitors for Memorial Day weekend, one of the busiest holidays of the summer.
The centerpiece of the park is the 3,225-acre Lake Arthur, which on Memorial Day weekend, will be choked with visitors and tourists engaging in activities such as swimming, fishing and boating. Later in the year, the lake will host the annual Moraine State Park Regatta, as well as pontoon boat cruises.
Depending on local weather and the time of year, the level of Lake Arthur may rise by roughly a foot and a half above average. According to Dustin Drew, the manager of both Moraine and McConnells Mill state parks, the level of Lake Arthur has been higher than normal for most of the spring.
“The level of Lake Arthur does rise after rain events as the streams within the lake’s watershed bring their waters into the lake,” Drew said. “The lake has been above normal pool for most of the spring, with the level varying from a few inches above normal pool to more than a foot at one point.”
Over the past month, the area has been hit by some fierce storms, including one that spawned a tornado earlier this week.
“We have indeed had some rain events this spring and the wet weather does have impacts to the park and lake,” Drew said.
However, Drew says that, due in large part to the design of the man-made lake — which opened with the park in 1970 — the water level of Lake Arthur has not risen enough to cause significant concern.
“We have not had any significant damage from the rains and flash flooding that has occurred, beyond some washed out roads and trails,” Drew said. “Those responsible for designing and creating Moraine State Park were wise to not place any buildings or other infrastructure too closely to the lake shoreline that would be effected by an elevated lake pool.”
While the past week has seen some wet weather, forecasts call for mostly sunny and dry conditions for the three-day weekend.
Drew adds that the park has plans for when water levels rise dangerously, but that those plans have not come into effect so far since he became park manager.
“There are certain thresholds in which we may restrict recreation, based on safety concerns and our dam safety plan, but those water levels have not been reached in the time I have been the park manager, since 2013, and I do not foresee that occurring over the weekend or anytime in the near future,” Drew said. “(Visitors) should be able to boat, fish, swim, hike and relax at the park as they normally would.”
There is some information on the water levels of Lake Arthur available on the U.S. Geologic Survey’s water data website. However, according to Drew, the numbers may not be the most reliable.
“There is some monitoring available, but it is not posted in real time and usually lags behind by a few weeks,” Drew said.
