Easton Lake Dam Updates

For Immediate Release – 10/18/2021

ATTENTION

This notice is for all residents surrounding the Easton Lake area. On Thursday, October 7th, 2021 at approximately 3:00 p.m., staff from Adams County Land and Water performed routine maintenance on the Easton dam. During these procedures, a submerged piece of cut firewood became lodged in between the trash guard and gate of the dam, therefore bending and throwing the gate off track. Unfortunately, this incident occurred while the gate of the dam was at the highest point and staff were unable to lower it back down to normal levels. This incident has resulted in an unplanned draining of Easton Lake.

Adams County is working with contractors and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to mitigate this problem as soon as possible. Due to a high demand for contractors specialized in dam repairs and a shortage of materials, repairing Easton dam might not occur until the spring of 2022. Per the advice from DNR staff, lake levels can no longer be increased or decreased until spring of 2022 either. The changing season is driving amphibians, like turtles and frogs, to find areas suitable for hibernation such as a drained lake. If lake levels were to increase while amphibians are hibernating, a loss in the local population could occur.

When the work is complete, and DNR staff advise that it is safe to raise water levels, Adams County Land and Water will work to restore Easton Lake water levels. The rate at which the lake will fill up is completely dependent on the amount of water in the upper portion of the watershed, rainfall events, and directives from the DNR. 

In order to avoid future accidents like this, please refrain from dumping any cut pieces of wood, trash, or other debris into the lake. These actions are unlawful and result in the loss of beauty and health to the lake and surrounding areas.

Adams County Land and Water will send updates as soon as new information becomes available. Updates can also be found on the Adams County Website home page under the Easton Lake Dam Updates tab -  https://www.co.adams.wi.us/ -  and on the Adams County Land and Water Facebook page.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Land and Water office at (608) 339-4268 or email the department at Email.