Lake Level

Paul Myers, Lake Level Committee Chair

The dams on the Turtle River flowing out of Turtle Lake were checked over the Memorial Day weekend and all seemed good, water was flowing. Then, another check on May 29th found that the beavers had built up the first dam completely in a matter of days. Jim Brauner and Tim Goserud successfully cleared the dam that day and also opened up the second dam a little more. We now have free flowing water at this point.

It is common knowledge that this spring water levels are high everywhere in Itasca County. Turtle Lake reached an elevation level of 1352.7 this spring. As of May 28th, it is now at 1352.0, a drop of 8.4 inches during the month of May despite a good rain last week and water that continues to flow in from Hatch and Maple Lakes.

This significant drop is a result of good water flow on the Turtle River accomplished by managing the dams the best we can. We will continue to monitor the dams and strive too reach a drop of another 7-9 inches so we can achieve and maintain a level of 1351.4 or slightly under. This is the lake level target set by the MDNR that we must strive to achieve as stated in our most recent permit issued April 26, 2019.