Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
The level of the Turtle River below Shay's Dam in Mercer sits lower on Thursday after a fall drawdown in early September. The water level reveals the new concrete facing after recent repairs to 84-year-old dam that controls the flow from Fisher Lake to Spider Lake.
By ZACHARY MARANO
MERCER, Wis. - Construction crews finished repairs on the upstream portions of Shay Dam in Mercer, town supervisor Vic Ouimette said on Tuesday. The workers installed new concrete facing and performed other repairs on the aging structure which controls the flow of water from Fisher to Spider Lake.
The water levels on Fisher Lake were lowered by two to three feet to accommodate repairs to the dam. Town supervisor Vic Ouimette said the drawdown began on Sept. 5.
Ouimette said that residents on Cedar, Catherine and Fisher lakes were given notice to remove their boats and floating docks by information on the town's website and a banner placed on the intersection of Beaver Lodge Circle and Fisher Lake Road two weeks before the drawdown.
According to the town of Mercer website, the lakes will likely remain at a low water level until Spring 2022. Ouimette said they need to allow the repairs to the concrete to cure before they raise the water level again and they have to draw the water down every fall anyway.
Repairs on the downstream portions of the dam did not require low water levels and were completed in mid-September.
The Shay Dam project was paid for by the town of Mercer with a matching grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The dam was reconstructed because portions of concrete were falling off and a preliminary engineering report revealed that it needed repairs, Ouimette said.
The Shay Dam was originally built in 1936. Ouimette said that with the repairs, the project engineers estimate that the dam will last another 20 years.
