Stuck valve drains Lake Alice in William O'Brien State Park
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A lake inside a Minnesota state park has vanished, after a mechanical issue with the valve that control’s the lake’s water level.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said Monday that Lake Alice at William O’Brien State Park, north of Stillwater, “has experienced a near total drawdown of its water level,” leaving only a stream running across the lake bed.
That caused a fish kill in the 26-acre lake, located a stone’s throw from the St. Croix River. It’s normally up to 9 feet deep.
The DNR said that water levels at the lake had been steadily increasing due to heavy rain over the past month.
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“When water levels became high enough that water was flowing over the dike between the lake and the St. Croix River, DNR staff opened the water control structure’s valve to release excess water from Lake Alice,” the agency said Monday. “Due to a mechanical issue, the control structure valve is stuck open, which has caused the lake to drain to much lower levels. DNR staff are currently working on next steps to repair the control structure and restore the lake level.”
There’s no timeline for when the valve will be repaired and the lake refilled, but the DNR said it could be at least a month. Until then, the swimming beach on the lake is closed. The state park’s water activities on the St. Croix River are not affected.
According to the DNR, the lake had been stocked over the years with walleye, bluegill, crappie, white bass, northern pike and yellow perch.
The lake is fed by groundwater but, in years with significant flooding, it can also be inundated by the waters of the St. Croix River.
