ECRE maintains water at permitted levels, records show

Water in Shawano Lake, the channel and the Wolf River pool above the paper mill dam is being maintained at the height required by the Federal Energy Resources Commission, countering recent complaints of low levels.

A chart provided by Eagle Creek Renewable Energy (ECRE), the dam’s operator, shows “the level is at 802.5 (feet) above mean sea level (msl) just as its permit requires,” according to Bill Monfre, a Shawano Area Waterways Management board member working on a long-term solution to the ongoing water level controversy on Monday.

Some reports of damage to watercraft have also been made.

“Eagle Creek is doing what it’s supposed to do and has been since Nov. 15, 2020,” Monfre said. FERC in June 2020 accepted the ECRE proposal to keep the level at a “target normal election” of 802.9 feet or 0.4 foot above the authorized normal impoundment elevation of 802.5 feet between May 15 and Nov. 15. The lower water level in winter months was supposed to reduce high water and ice damage to properties.

Monfre found out the hard way as both of his personal watercraft are being repaired after sucking rocks into their intakes from water too shallow for launching. He said he had chosen a commercial boat landing as the water at his home was too shallow to launch the craft.

The SAWM board member said he didn’t know if his experience was common because it’s early in the season and there aren’t a lot of boaters out.

David Korth, Washington town chairman, said on May 10, “The water is low, how much low, I don’t know.”

He added, based on the township putting in the Swan Acres boat landing dock on Shawano Lake, the level is as much as 12 inches low.

Brian Moesch, Wescott town chairman, said his personal observation, as well as talking to residents, is that water levels have been too low but he hadn’t heard of any damage to boats or other problems so far this year.

Moesch added the township supports the 802.9 year-round level.

“That’s the historical level and it seems to work out well,” he said.

SAWM is working with ECRE, local governments, fishing groups, and other stakeholders is to restore the lake to its historic level, Monfre said. The towns of Wescott and Washington have provided letters of support for the 802.9 level, according to the town chairs. Additional letters of support have also been received by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, and SAWM is soliciting other expressions of support.

SAWM continues to pursue two goals — a temporary amendment for this year as has been done in the previous five years and a permanent solution, setting the water level at its historic level 0f 802.9 feet year-round. The group expects to send preliminary documents to the USFWS and DNR this week, Monfre said.

Monfre said he was hopeful that FERC would act on the higher water levels by June and expressed confidence the water levels will be restored for the Fourth of July weekend, traditionally one of the most popular times in the summer attracting boaters into the area.

David Fox, an ECRE employee charged with seeing the change through the regulatory process, said, “It’s certainly possible for FERC to order a higher water level by the Fourth of July weekend.”

Because ECRE has requested a temporary exemption for a period of years, Fox said he expected the regulatory review to be fairly routine and move through the process fairly promptly.

Fox said he wanted to pursue a two-year temporary amendment before addressing the permanent amendment. An additional year “will buy us adequate time to get permitting process done” for the permanent change,” he added.

Fox said the dam operator is “interested in balancing all of the interest of all stakeholders”and has not seen any negative impact from the higher water level to ECRE and its operation of the dam.