Lake Monroe lake level to drop

September 16, 2005


Lake Monroe water level to drop


Associated Press


BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will lower the level of Lake Monroe by 3 to 5 feet to enable county highway workers to replace a deteriorating culvert at the Fairfax State Recreation Area.

It will be the first time the level at Indiana’s largest man made lake has been lowered since 1988, Corps of Engineers park manager David Cable said.

“Basically, (the lake) is like a big bathtub,” Cable said. “We do have control over the drain, so we open it up a little bit more, and then we’ll have more water going out than is coming in.”

The engineers expect to reduce the level by 2 feet by the end of September and another foot by Oct. 7, he said.

“Boaters are going to have to keep an eye out for obstructions that they might not normally hit,” Cable said of the recreation area south of Bloomington. “They also might see obstructions they may not have noticed before since the levels will be a lot lower.”

Crews will then work to replace the 12 foot culvert. The lower lake levels also will allow the Department of Natural Resources to gain access to other areas of the lake that might need work.

“Typically, this is the driest time of the year, which puts our expectations for the lake already being down pretty low. Now, we’ll have the whole wet season to bring it back up,” Cable said.

Wow! bye bye all you grass beds that have been so good this year. I'll miss ya.

lake level is dropping fast

Has anyone tried to fish the tailwater when they are dropping the water?

I catch a lot of wipers in Alabama at Wheeler Dam (Lake Wilson) when the water is coming out fast.

Anyway, it sounds like a good way for me to blow $30 bucks worth of gas. I will find out Wednesday.