News & Reports

This video was referenced in the fall/winter 2022 issue of our newsletter the Driftwood, in an article on gentians.

The 2022 open water season on the TFF will be remembered for close to average water levels up to mid-July. From mid-July to mid-August water levels were approximately 6” below target levels. From mid-August through mid-October the water level was within 3” of target level, and was 6-9 inches higher than last year at the same time.

The spring refill target of 1571.50’ was achieved on April 20, 2022, and “ice-out” on Baraboo took place on May 4, 2022.

Discharge from the TFF Dam was moderate throughout the season, and was reduced to just above the minimum of 300 cubic feet per second (cfs) in late September. Discharge remained in the low 300 cfs range through the end of October. Maximum discharge of 2,482 cfs took place on April 28, 2022, during spring snow melt.

Officially, the “Water Year” runs through the end of October. Our expectation is that TFF water levels will gradually rise over the next several weeks as the annual drawdown of the Manitowish Waters chain started about 10 days ago

The DNR normally plans to take docks out each year around Columbus Day because of staffing, weather and consistency. The tentative dates set for DNR dock removal for the 2022 season on the TFF are October 12th-14th.

The WDNR has initiated a master planning process for DNR properties of the North Central Forest Ecological Landscape, which includes the Turtle Flambeau Scenic Waters Area. During this scoping phase of the planning process, the public is invited to share their thoughts on the future use and management of DNR properties in the region and to help identify topics that should be addressed in the plan.

As a part of this process, two open house informational meetings will be held July 26 (Rhinelander) and July 27 (Phillips). The public can subscribe to receive planning updates by email, and can also can provide input either online or by written comments. This scoping public input period is open through Aug. 15, 2022.

Detailed information can be found here – https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/fl/PropertyPlanning/NorthCentralForest