Augusta/Clearwater... Holy High Water!

[dfv87]

Went out to our place on Augusta on Sat to see the water climbing the beach and covering our dock by a foot almost! We are still better than some on the lake with water up to their doors. It is above the highest "spring" level I have seen in the 5 years I have had a place. Normally we are lowering docks this time of year...

PLEASE watch your wakes. Any help is appreciated by the lakeshore owners.

[Brad B]

Dale

How is the channel going from Clearwater into Augusta. I have been wanting to get up there and try clearwater but this weather has been so mixed up this year. My cat season has sucked so far but atleast I did get a few back in may.

Brad

[terrible_fisherman]

You can still get through but not with a real big boat or pontoon with anything making it taller then it normally is. I live on clearwater and just got done raising my dock about a foot to get it back above water. The water raised another couple inches today while I was at work so not sure when it will stop coming up. Just hope no more rain.

[g_anoka]

I have a place in a "resort community" on Clearwater. Listening to the "experts" who have been there for 30 + years, this is the highest they have ever seen the lake levels since 1983, and then it was only temporary from the spring thaw. Also, since clearwater lake is part of the clearwater river, after a heavy rain they claim it takes about 3-4 days for the lake to hit its highest level. It really has been quite the summer up there, the ground is so saturated that when it rains we end up with alot of standing water, unfortunately, our fire pit being one of the places. And I am sure you were not the only one who had to raise their dock this summer.

[hydro]

All of you dealing with the high water have my sincere sympathy. I know how difficult it makes life when you own shoreline property.

I lived on the lake in 1983, my family owned the Narrows Resort, and the high water that year was devastating. In June, a thunderstorm dumped between 11" and 17" of rain on an area centered over the Clearwater River watershed over a period of about 6 hours. The lake rose over 5' over the period of 24 hours. Two days later we had another 4" of rain. The lake continued to rise, and then it got complicated.

As the water rose, the mats of cattails in the lake began to break free from the lakebed and started to float around. The lake being a reservoir, much of this material floated "downstream" toward the bridge at Grass Lake. It effectively formed a plug that prevented the lake from draining. The water stayed high until a dragline hired by the Watershed District eventually pulled the cattails from the lake over a period of 3 months.

At the highest point two of our cabins had a foot of water over the floors and we could drive a boat through our yard and down the road, and cross the point where normally there was at least 6’ of dry land. The roads in to our place remained impassible for 2 months and to get ourselves and customers in and out we had to use the pontoon boat as a ferry. The most difficult part was listening to the water each night as it slowly destroyed our buildings and knowing there was nothing that could be done to correct the situation.

[dfv87]

Sorry to hear that story Hydro. I hope they are keeping the grass lake exit of the river clear so the lake can manage itself back to "normal". We are also in the association life so we are lucky to have many people watching the levels and all of our stuff. Some lake places were already feeling the pain of flooding and with more rain likely... I am worried about them.

Brad, how are you doing? The channel is high but most fishing boats without windshields can get under. Fishing has not been too good though with high water... I did get to finally run up to Caroline lake from Augusta (up the river). Normally only the canoes, kayaks and flat bottom boats can get up there, now I took my 18' deep v and made it no problem... fun trip.

[hydro]

In '83 I made it past Caroline and all the way to the bridge in Fairhaven. It was a fun trip.

[dfv87]

We did not try that... maybe this weekend.

[grizrunner]

Any updates on water level/wake zone enforcement? Been in northern MN camping/fishing the past week, and the kids already have fishing withdrawals after 1/2 day at home.

[terrible_fisherman]

It has dropped about 8-9 inches on the side of the lake I live on. Still a no wake zone on the wright county side of the lake. Stearns county votes after a public hearing on Tuesday for their side of the lake.

[jigginjim]

I talked with one of the locals who knows the sheriffs office, they will more likely vote not to patrol the lake. Streans county has too many lakes to cover. Which at that rate Wright county will be stuck holding the bag. One body says that if streans county does not enforce the no-wake, it will make very hard for wright county to enforce some may fight the ticket and maybe get off.

I'm not going to be the guinnee pig for that.