| Abstract: | ABSTRACT: Completion of a 1270 acre recreational impoundment (Legend Lake) in the glacial sands of Menominee County, Wisconsin, produced geochemical and hydrologic alterations in some nearby natural lakes. The impoundment was produced by the construction of three dams, one of which proved to be temporary, connecting 9 natural lakes and ponds of 383 acres with 951 acres of flooded lands. Water levels were raised 3–15 feet within the impounded area. Much of the flooded area was peat rich wetland associated with the prior drainage. Water depths are less than 15 feet in 70% of the impoundment. Three seepage lakes, located less than 1/2 mile from the impoundment, experienced shoreline flooding, shoreline and soil erosion, some tree kills, and increased turbidity. These lakes also experienced concentration increases in several chemical constituents which indicate an influx of impoundment water through a regional alternation in the groundwater flow paths. The three lakes were connected by canals, and a 2.3 cfs gravity drain with an auxiliary pumping station was built to return excess water to the outflow of the impoundment. Future projects of this type would benefit from a more extensive hydrologic and geochemical analysis prior to initiation. Had environmental assessments been required at the time of this development, as they now are in Wisconsin for similar projects, some of the problems encountered might have been alleviated. |
