Lake Lemon Conservancy District

In an effort to give everyone ample time to prepare for a lake drawdown, I am emailing to notify that the LLCD will be lowering the lake level by two feet to accommodate the City of Bloomington Utilities and Indiana Railroads Shuffle Creek trestle access needs. We will be opening the sluice gate on Tuesday, September 5th. Without substantial rain, the lake will drop approximately 2 inches per day. Meaning that it will take 10 days +/- to achieve a two foot reduction in water level. The Indiana Railroad Company has stated that the repairs will begin on September 20th , and take approximately 3 weeks to complete. At which time the gates will be closed and the lake allowed to return to normal pool.

This is going to put a big strain on local services for boat removal, so please take action accordingly, and do not risk waiting until the last moment if you rely on others for boat removal. Areas that do have sufficient water depth and will not need to remove boats with a water level reduction of two feet, still need to be cognizant if boat lifts are being utilized. Many lifts will be unusable with a two foot water level reduction and boats can become stuck if not removed prior.

We understand that this is a major inconvenience for residents and will result in a shorter boating season this year. One thing we must keep in mind though, is that this is the first request of this kind by the City of Bloomington Utilities in over 22 years of quiet enjoyment. I would like to thank the LLCD Board members and staff who have worked feverishly to find alternatives to a drawdown, however, only being a lessee of the lake has left us at a disadvantage during negotiations. While this may seem like a major loss, we must remember that the initial request was to draw down the lake in the spring, and though it may not seem like it now, moving the date to after labor day was a major victory, as it allowed us to enjoy the majority of the boating season.

Regards,

Adam Casey
LLCD District Manager