Wisconsin Dells Advice » Lake Delton

Lake Delton – One Year Later

Dells Advice — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:40:29 +0000

It was one year ago today that the landscape of Lake Delton was forever changed. The lake emptied on June 9, 2008, after heavy rains and flooding caused Highway A to breach, sending the contents of the lake, and several lakeside homes into the Wisconsin River.

Almost immediately, plans were made to reconstruct Highway A, and restore the isthmus between the lake and the river. Highway A reopened less than 6 months later, and Lake Delton was completely refilled several weeks ago.

Lake Delton is back, and area business owners are anxious to see what the summer tourist season brings this year. It is unknown whether the current economic situation will keep tourists home this summer, or actually bring them to the Dells in lieu of a more pricey alternative.

Although Lake Delton is new and improved, many lives have been changed forever by the events of June 9, 2008. Most notably, would be the families who lost their homes that day. Also affected were many of the area hotels, restaurants, and other businesses who depend on the lake for their livelihood.

Here are a couple of videos of the events of that unfortunate day.

Some interesting aerial footage of the damage.

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Wisconsin Dells Ducks Are Operational

Dells Advice — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:38:25 +0000

The hints of nice weather we’ve had over the past couple of weeks have convinced the operators of the Original Wisconsin Ducks and the Dells Army Ducks to start offering tours for the 2009 season. At this point in the year, they aren’t offering continuous tours as they typically do during the busy summer months. The Original Wisconsin Ducks are running 4 tours a day at 11:00 A.M., 12:00 Noon, 2:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. The Dells Army Ducks aren’t operating on a set schedule. They’ll take any group of 6 or more out right away. If your group has less than 6 people in it, you’ll need to wait until more people show up.

Lake Delton still hasn’t gotten to its normal water level, so both ducks tour companies aren’t venturing into the lake yet. Both ducks tours do include rides on the Wisconsin River, however. The filling of Lake Delton is weather dependent, so the more rain the Wisconsin Dells area gets, the sooner it will be back to its normal water level. When I spoke to Lake Delton Village Clerk Kay Mackesey last month, she told me that they anticipated that the lake would be completely filled sometime in May. The heavy rains that the Dells area has gotten this week certainly will help move the filling along. Both ducks tours will take passengers in the area of the Lake Delton breach and over the new Highway A that was constructed after it was destroyed last June.

If you are planning on going on a Dells duck tour this spring, the best advice would be to call ahead. The Original Wisconsin Ducks can be reached at 608-254-8751 and the Dells Army Ducks can be reached at 608-254-6080.

Channel 15 in Madison had a report recently on the opening of the Original Wisconsin Ducks and the status of the filling of Lake Delton. To see the news report, click below.

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Refilling of Lake Delton on Schedule

Dells Advice — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:43:34 +0000

The refilling of Lake Delton is on schedule according to Village of Lake Delton officials, and it should be completely filled by May, in time for Wisconsin Dells summer tourist season. Lake Delton emptied on June 9, 2008, after heavy rains and flooding caused Highway A to breach, sending the contents of the lake into the Wisconsin River. The reconstruction of Highway A was completed late last year, and the highway reopened in December. The dam controlling flow into the Wisconsin River was modified to avoid a repeat of the disaster.

Lake Delton Village Clerk, Kay Mackesey told me that the dam gates are currently open 10″, and will be closed once the Department of Natural Resources has certified the dam. Once the gates have been closed, they expect the lake to rise another 6 feet or so to its normal elevation. The actual date that the lake is back to normal will depend on weather conditions. Lake Delton is fed by Mirror Lake though Dell Creek. The timing of the snow melting and spring rains will determine when the lake is back to its normal water level. Kay thought it would be sometime between May 1st and Memorial Day, however it could be sooner.

To help illustrate the progress of the refilling of Lake Delton, the Village will be putting an informational sign along Wisconsin Dells Parkway to show the current level of the lake in relation to the normal water level.

Future of Tommy Bartlett Show in Jeopardy?

Dells Advice — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:20:10 +0000

An article that appeared recently in the Capital Times suggests that if Tommy Bartlett, Inc., operators of the Tommy Bartlett show, doesn’t receive a disputed $1.5 million insurance settlement that the future of the show could be in jeopardy. The article, which appeared in last weeks paper, discusses a special business casualty insurance policy that was issued by General Casualty Insurance based in Sun Prairie. The insurance policy was to pay Tommy Bartlett, Inc. up to $1.5 million in the event of catastrophic damage that interrupted the Tommy Barlett show. The popular water ski show was cancelled for the 2008 season after Lake Delton drained in the aftermath of the heavy rain storms in June.

The claim for payment was denied by General Casualty due to an exclusion written into the policy that did not cover damages caused by flooding or earth movement. Tommy Bartlett, Inc.’s attorneys argue that “General Casualty willfully and wrongfully refused to provide coverage for Tommy Bartlett Inc.’s losses arising from that June 9, 2008 event”, according to the article.

One particular quote from Tommy Bartlett, Inc. attorney John Walsh that really stood out was “The goal here is to keep the Tommy Bartlett Water Ski Show alive and without this that is going to be very difficult to do”. It is impossible to tell if this is being said to attract additional attention to this issue, or if the Dells landmark is really at risk of closing. It is also unknown if a flood insurance policy would have even been available to Tommy Bartlett Inc. to purchase, or if a claim under such a policy would have even been payable.

When the Coast is Clear

Dells Advice — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:39:59 +0000

After a warm September, temperatures are finally starting to cool off and it is starting to feel like fall. I have a feeling the cold temperatures are going to hit us fast, and we’ll be wondering where summer went. This time of year always reminds me of one of my favorite Jimmy Buffett songs, When the Coast is Clear. The song is basically about living in a tourist town, and what life is like when summer is over and all of the tourists have left. I wonder how the Dells locals feel during this time of year. It must be a bittersweet feeling. Especially this year after the draining of Lake Delton back in June.

Lake Delton Pictures

Dells Advice — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:00:31 +0000

By now, we have all seen the pictures on the news and the internet of the aftermath of the draining of Lake Delton. It is one of those things that you have to see in person in order to fully appreciate the magnatude of what happened.

An excellent place to view the lake bed is from the Lake Delton Public Beach, which is right next to the Wilderness on the Lake. To get to the Lake Delton Public Beach, turn east onto E Hiawatha Drive from Wisconsin Dells Parkway (Houlihan’s is at this intersection). Just before you get to the Wilderness on the Lake, turn right onto Park Drive. There is parking for the beach on Park Drive. It was surreal to see people actually walking across where the lake used to be.

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