Fall Drawdown Begins
Over the past three weeks, water levels across the Minnehaha Creek Watershed have steadily decreased, as rainfall from an intense mid-August storm moved through the system. In response to the received rainfall, the change in season, and in accordance with the operating plan, Gray’s Bay Dam is currently discharging 50 cubic feet per second (cfs), to gradually lower Lake Minnetonka’s level while balancing flows in Minnehaha Creek.
From late summer through fall, the Dam’s operating plan calls for the Lake level to be lowered toward its natural runout elevation of 928.6 feet, in preparation for stoplog installation and winter ice-in, to provide storage for spring snowmelt.
Also in this update
- Water Levels Declined Through Much of August, but Peaked with Mid-Month Storm
- 2025 Precipitation Trends and Forecasts
- Near Normal Summer Precip, but a Few Memorable Storms
- Current Water Levels
- Gray’s Bay Dam Operations
- Water Level Resources