Windsor to be lowered this year

The Joint Advisory Committee on Lakes agreed to support a plan to lower Lake Windsor this winter. The discussion took place at its monthly meeting.

Last winter, both Loch Lomond and Lake Avalon were lowered. At Avalon, the water was lowered so a new sand beach could be built. At Loch Lomond, the water was lowered so homeowners around the lake could work on their docks and sea walls.

Windsor was last lowered in 2010-11. The lakes department no longer uses a rotation to draw down lakes. Rather, it considers all the lakes each spring. Windsor homeowners had been asking for the drawdown, general manger Tom Judson said. The drawdowns are always announced in advance so lakefront homeowners can line up contractors to do the work.

John Urquhart, who works in Lakes and Fisheries, said his department will look at docks from the water over the summer and let people know if there’s a problem.

He also reported to the committee that the department’s fish breeding program seems to be going well. Several golf course ponds along U.S. Highway 71 are in use as nursery ponds for crappie, walleye and saugeye. Last year, the ponds were flooded by creek water and all the fish were lost, but this year the flooding wasn’t as severe. Urquhart said that there may be a few creek fish in the nursery ponds along with the young crappie and walleye.

Bella Vista now has more covered slips on Loch Lomond, Urquhart said, and almost all have been rented already.