Gray’s Bay Dam Closed
The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) closed Gray’s Bay Dam on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, after 156 days. The dam will remain closed unless the area receives enough rainfall to increase Lake Minnetonka’s water level above its natural runout elevation of 928.6 feet before dam winterization later this season.
During late summer and into fall, MCWD operates the dam to lower the lake toward its natural runout elevation in advance of winter ice-in, in accordance with the dam’s operating plan. This provides capacity on Lake Minnetonka for spring snowmelt, reducing flooding potential on both the lake and creek. From Sept. 9 until Oct. 4, Gray’s Bay Dam discharge was set to 50 cubic feet per second (cfs), to gradually lower Lake Minnetonka ahead of winter ice-in.
also in this update
- Watershed is classified as “Abnormally Dry” following wet summer
- 2024 Precipitation Trends and Forecasts
- Current Water Levels
- Gray’s Bay Dam Operations
- Water Level Resources