REMINDER: Wixom Lake Drawdown Set for November

FLTF to Conduct Fish and Mussel Preservation Program 

Four Lakes Task Force (FLTF) announced in September plans to conduct an early winter water drawdown of Wixom Lake, which would reduce the water level by 8 feet over the course of roughly two weeks. While FLTF has not gotten the final approval from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), we expect the drawdown will begin in mid to late November.

A typical annual winter drawdown lowers the lake by 3 feet starting on December 15 of each year. For this year, multiple experts agree that a winter drawdown of 8 feet, conducted several weeks before ice starts to form on the lake, is the most practical and safest course of action for this upcoming winter. Wixom Lake residents must remove their boats, docks and hoists/lifts from the water by October 31.

In conjunction with the drawdown, teams of biologists and engineers will conduct an organized survey of the lake bottom and shallow waters for stranded fish and native freshwater mussels. Stranded fish and mussels will be relocated to the nearest area of lake deep enough to help ensure they will thrive through the winter. Residents may see teams of individuals, including divers, working along the shoreline and across the lake beginning at the time of the drawdown, during daylight hours.

Wixom Lake will return to the normal summer level by the time the surface water temperature reaches 39 degrees Fahrenheit in spring 2020.

FAST FACTS:

• Wixom Lake winter drawdown will begin in mid to late November
  • Drawdown of 8 feet at a rate of 6 inches per day until the desired level is reached
  • Winter elevation = 667.8'
  • Early drawdown is being conducted for the safety of the dam
  • Lake will be returned to normal levels in spring 2020
• Residents should remove their boats, docks and hoists/lifts by Oct. 31
• FLTF is performing a fish and native freshwater mussel survey and relocation program to protect these species
  • Residents may see teams of people conducting the survey during the time of the drawdown
  • Stranded fish and mussels will be relocated to deeper parts of the lake
• Sanford, Secord and Smallwood lakes are not impacted
• See the FLTF website FAQ for more details