Lake Co. officials anxiously watching strained Wisconsin dam
Illinois emergency officials are watching a southern Wisconsin dam that is in danger of failing and sending more water south to the already swollen Fox River.
Officials are concerned water breaching the dam at Mukwonago, Wis., at Lower Phantom Lake would severely aggravate flood problems developing in parts of Fox Lake, Antioch and elsewhere in Lake and McHenry counties.
"I really don't know how bad it would be if that dam failed," said Kent McKenzie, head of the Lake County Emergency Management Agency. "That's a lot of water coming at us. We would definitely have to evacuate certain areas."
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The Mukwonago Dam holds back approximately 470 acres of water -- a little smaller than the 580-acre Lake Marie on the Chain O' Lakes. It connects the Mukwonago River to Lower Phantom Lake in Waukesha County, Wis.
The Mukwonago River flows into the Fox River.
The concrete-and-steel dam became unstable Tuesday night when a section of bog rolled into it and blocked rushing water. The water pushed around the dam and softened the surrounding ground.
"Luckily, we happened to be there at the time," said Mukwonago Fire Chief Jeffery Rolfe. "But that bog being there put all of these events into process."
Mukwonago officials said the dam's stability depends, in large part, on the weather. Rain is forecast for today.
"As of right now, it appears the water has crested in Phantom Lake and the dam is holding," Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle said Wednesday. "If we get a couple inches of rain, I'm confident we'll be OK. If we suddenly get 6 or 7 inches, we'll be in an emergency situation."
Doyle said the dam is monitored around the clock by officials looking for signs of failure.
If it fails, authorities said they believe the entire lake could drain and water would quickly flow into the Fox River.
The lake and dam are about 25 miles north of New Munster, Wis., and about 45 miles north of the Illinois/Wisconsin border.
Normally, it takes about 36 hours for high water to flow south from New Munster to the Chain, but McKenzie said it could take less time to arrive.
"We just don't know what it would do," he said.
Depending on the amount of water, Fox River Springs and other subdivisions along the Fox River and Chain in Lake and McHenry counties could be flooded.
Officials from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources are warning residents to be prepared to leave the area immediately should the dam fail. Wisconsin state troopers are stationed near the dam to block access to the area.
Waukesha County Executive Daniel Vrakas said the county has been declared a state of emergency.
Rita Lee, a water hydraulist for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said her office is monitoring the situation, but officials are unsure what will happen in Illinois if the dam fails.
"The creeks and rivers are already full, the ground is saturated, so if the dam breaks, most of the water will not be soaked in to the ground," Lee said. "So, we would expect some impact, but we don't really know more than that at this point."