Platte River Dam
URGENT! Dam failure will lower Lake Sullivan’s water by 3 feet
Minnesota DNR owns and maintains the Platte River lake outlet dams in Minnesota. The primary goals for dam maintenance are to protect existing shoreland owners’ rights and downstream owners’ rights to water available within natural precipitation variations.
Maintenance involves ensuring that each dam is safe and functional, operates at the authorized runout elevation, and provides free-flowing conditions. Inspections of dams are conducted to ensure that the stop logs are at the authorized setting, to repair or replace damaged or worn equip- ment, and to remove obstructions as necessary.
Dam failure could include:
- altered ground water levels that affect wells or crops
- increased flooding caused by improper operation
- injuries to anglers, boaters or swimmers because of hazardous conditions at the dam
- environmental damages including degraded water quality, alteration of sediment transport, increased erosion, loss of aquatic habitat, and altered stream biology.
Platte River Dam’s condition is poor and unstable
Coalition a coalition of lake associations and conservation organizations have been working with the Minnesota DNR to resolve the poor condition of the 60-year-old Platte River dam.
Platte River dam failure consequences could include:
- Platte Lake will have an average depth of 3 feet with a muddy weed infested shoreline not suitable for docks, boats, most water recreation and will drastically affect your property values!
- Sullivan Lake will see a 3 foot drop in water level, the same muddy weedy shoreline as Platte Lake and property values that will fall!
- Round Lake will receive approximately 35 acres of surface floating bogs, weeds and 2 to 3 feet of sediment now held back by the current dam.
- Platte Lake’s and Sullivan Lake’s weed control plans would be obsolete due to the extended shorelines and new weed beds. The $200,000.00 that has already been spent could be all wasted and spent for nothing.
- Just shy of 3000 acres of water 2 feet deep will be forced down river into Round Lake and the rest of the Platte River watershed. Damage to property, habitat, fishing and other recreation can only be expected.
Lake Sullivan property owners need to be concerned
If Lake Sullivan does not get a new dam the consequences listed above will become a reality! Please help by contacting Bill Elliott at 320-277-3916 or 763-757-0287 or Email Bill
We need everyone’s support to gain a new watershed dam in Sullivan Lake soon!
