Advisories & Notices
BOARD MEETING LOCATION CHANGE:
The board meeting on Thursday, May 23, 2013, will be held at the McHenry Municipal Center, 333 Green Street, McHenry, IL 60050.
April 23, 2013 - Board Meeting Postponed.
The Board Meeting for April 25, 2013, has been postponed until May 23, 2013.
JUST A FRIENDLY REMINDER: TO AVOID A $10.00 PROCESSING FEE, PLEASE BRING IN
YOUR GREEN 2013 RENEWAL CARD. NO EXCEPTIONS. THANK YOU.
Our office is open on Saturdays now through June 29, 2013 / 8:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m.
IMPORTANT NOTICE!!!! ATTN BOATERS:
The IDNR DID NOT send out watercraft renewal notices this year. It is your responsibility to make sure that your watercraft registration is current.
See website for details
or call: 800-382-1696 / 217-557-0180
As of 6 a.m., Wednesday May 15th, the lower River, Zone A, will be open. All Boaters are cautioned to be aware of possible floating debris. Captains, you are responsible for your boat and all passengers!
ATTENTION: CANOE AND KAYAK OWNERS - EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2013
The Water Usage Stamp will be required YEARLY for any individual operating a non-powered vessel within the State of Illinois. IDNR raised the price for non-powered vessels from the $6 every three year registration to the $6 Water Usage Stamp annually. The department also removed the requirement to title non-powered watercraft.
Any questions please contact:
Michael Stevens IDNR 217-785-0073
May 9, 2013 - Current Condtions
Inflows to the Chain of Lakes are 1600 cfs and falling based on the stream gages at Fox River near New Munster, Wisconsin and Nippersink Creek near Spring Grove. Fox River near New Munster, WI is below flood stage . The Chain of Lake stage is 4.7 feet at Fox Lake. Outflows from Stratton Dam are 2540 cfs with a tailwater stage of 3.5 feet. Algonquin Dam tailwater stage is 8.8 feet. The last rainfall was recorded the morning of May 4.
Forecast
The National Weather Service (NWS) is predicting the potential for ½ to 1 of precipitation over Fox River today. The NWS is predicting peak flows the Fox River near New Munster, WI will continue to drop. The NWS is predicting that the Fox River Algonquin Dam tailwater gage will continue to drop. The river predictions are based on the ½ of precipitation over the Fox River watershed above Algonquin Dam.
Operations
The hinged crest gate at Stratton Dam has been closed, even with the spillway crest. No flow is going over the spillway crest and hinged crest gate. The sluice gates remain open at Stratton Dam. The hinged crest gate at Algonquin Dam is half way opened. The Chain of Lakes and Fox River continue to drop about 1 ½ per day.
As the Chain of Lakes and Fox River continue to fall and inflows to the Chain drop off, the gates at both dams will be closed incrementally.
Advisories May 6, 2013, 1pm
Foxwaterway Agency has issued a No Wake boating restriction for Chain O Lakes and the Fox River System.
May 3, 2013 - Current Condtions
The Fox River and Chain of Lakes have crested and dropped 2 feet. Inflows to the Chain of Lakes are 1920 cfs and rising based on the stream gages at Fox River near New Munster, Wisconsin and Nippersink Creek near Spring Grove. Fox River near New Munster, WI is at flood stage . The Chain of Lake stage is 5.8 feet at Fox Lake. Outflows from Stratton Dam are 4565 cfs with a tailwater stage of 5.3 feet. Algonquin Dam tailwater stage is 10.7 feet. The rainfall overnight was Ό at McHenry while the Wisconsin portion of the watershed received 1.
Forecast
The National Weather Service (NWS) is predicting an additional Ό of precipitation over Fox River watershed today. The NWS is predicting peak flows the Fox River near New Munster, WI will crest at 2450 cfs on May 5 with a 1 foot rise in stage. The NWS is predicting that the Fox River Algonquin Dam tailwater gage will continue to drop and be below flood stage on May 7. These predictions are based on the forecasted precipitation of Ό over the watershed
Operations
All gates at Stratton and Algonquin dams are fully opened. Forecasted inflows to the Chain of Lakes will remain well below outflows from Stratton Dam. Therefore, the Fox River and Chain of Lakes will continue to fall but not at the 3 per day seen earlier in the week.
The Chain of Lakes needs to drop 0.8 feet in order to drop below flood stage and 1.6 feet to return to normal summer pool.
The Fox River needs to drop 0.8 to be below flood stage and 1.3 to be back in bank.
A Restricted Boating Area has been issued for the Fox River from Wisconsin/Illinois State Line to Montgomery Dam effective at 3pm April 17, 2013. This restriction encompasses all of the Fox River and Chain of Lakes in Lake and McHenry Counties.
April 29, 2013 - Current Condtions
The Fox River from Chain to Algonquin Dam and Chain of Lakes have crested and dropped about 1. Inflows to the Chain of Lakes are 2740 cfs based on the stream gages at Fox River near New Munster, Wisconsin and Nippersink Creek near Spring Grove. Fox River near New Munster, WI is still almost 2 above flood stage . The Chain of Lake stage is 6.9 feet at Fox Lake. Outflows from Stratton Dam are 5465 cfs with a tailwater stage of 6.5 feet. Algonquin Dam tailwater stage is 11.6 feet.
Forecast
The National Weather Service (NWS) is predicting minimal rainfall over the next 3 days got for the Fox River watershed. The NWS is predicting that the Fox River near New Munster, WI will drop below flood stage on May 3. The NWS is predicting that the Fox River Algonquin Dam tailwater gage will drop below flood stage on Saturday May 4.
Operations
All gates at Stratton and Algonquin dams are fully opened.
The Chain of Lakes and Fox River are dropping 3 per day as inflows to the Chain of Lakes drop. The Chain of Lakes needs to drop 2 feet in order to drop below flood stage and 2.8 feet to return to normal summer pool. Therefore, it will take about 8 days without significant precipitation for the Lakes to drop below flood stage. The Fox River will drop in conjunction with the Chain of Lakes so it will fall below flood stage in the same time period.
A Restricted Boating Area has been issued for the Fox River from Wisconsin/Illinois State Line to Montgomery Dam effective at 3pm April 17, 2013. This restriction encompasses all of the Fox River and Chain of Lakes in Lake and McHenry Counties.
April 23, 2013 - Current Condtions
The Fox River from Chain to Algonquin Dam and Chain of Lakes are cresting. Inflows to the Chain of Lakes are 4500cfs based on the stream gages at Fox River near New Munster, Wisconsin and Nippersink Creek near Spring Grove. Fox River near New Munster, WI and Nippersink Creek are falling . The Chain of Lake stage is 7.9 feet at Fox Lake. Outflows from Stratton Dam are 6850 cfs with a tailwater stage of 7.4 feet. Algonquin Dam tailwater stage is 12.6 feet.
Forecast
The National Weather Service(NWS) is predicting the potential for Ό to ½ of rain over the Fox River watershed today. The NWS is predicting no increase in stage from this precipitation at the Fox River near New Munster, WI and Algonquin Dam tailwater gages. This precipitation will slow down the recession of the floods. I would anticipate small increases in water surface levels. However, I will caution you that the State Climatologists is warning that significant runoff potential exists as the ground is saturated.
Operations
All gates at Stratton and Algonquin dams are fully opened.
After review of the August 2007 and June 2008 flood events, the Chain of Lakes will drop between 2 ½ to 3 per day as inflows to the Chain of Lakes drop. The Chain of Lakes needs to drop 3 in order to drop below flood stage and 3.8 to return to normal summer pool. Therefore, it will take about 2 weeks without significant precipitation for the Lakes to drop below flood stage. The Fox River will drop in conjunction with the Chain of Lakes so it will fall below flood stage in the same time period.
A Restricted Boating Area has been issued for the Fox River from Wisconsin/Illinois State Line to Montgomery Dam effective at 3pm April 17, 2013. This restriction encompasses all of the Fox River and Chain of Lakes in Lake and McHenry Counties.
April 22, 2013 - Current Condtions
The Fox River from Chain to Algonquin Dam and Chain of Lakes are cresting. Inflows to the Chain of Lakes are 5100 cfs based on the stream gages at Fox River near New Munster, Wisconsin and Nippersink Creek near Spring Grove. Fox River near New Munster, WI is falling slowly. Nippersink Creek has been falling since Saturday April 20 with flows dropping from 2150 cfs to 660 cfs. The Chain of Lake stage is 7.9 feet at Fox Lake. Outflows from Stratton Dam are 6900 cfs with a tailwater stage of 7.4 feet. Algonquin Dam tailwater stage is 12.6 feet.
Forecast
The National Weather Service(NWS) is predicting the potential for ½ of rain. The NWS will include this potential rainfall in tomorrows river forecast. I would anticipate this rain would lead to small increases in water levels and prolong the time the Fox River and Chain of Lakes is above flood stage.
Operations
All gates at Stratton and Algonquin dams are fully opened. I apologize for not issuing an update over the weekend. My crest estimations had not changed from Friday, April 19.
A Restricted Boating Area has been issued for the Fox River from Wisconsin/Illinois State Line to Montgomery Dam effective at 3pm April 17, 2013. This restriction encompasses all of the Fox River and Chain of Lakes in Lake and McHenry Counties.
April 19, 2013 - Current Condtions
Inflows to the Chain of Lakes are 6600 cfs and are rising based on the stream gages at Fox River near New Munster, Wisconsin and Nippersink Creek near Spring Grove. It appears that Nippersink Creek may be close to cresting. The Chain of Lake stage is 7.0 feet at Fox Lake. Outflows from Stratton Dam are 5550 cfs with a tailwater stage of 6.4 feet. Algonquin Dam tailwater stage is 12.1 feet. Less than ½ of rain was recorded throughout the watershed.
Forecast
The NWS is forecasting the Fox River near New Munster, Wisconsin will crest at stage of 14.9 feet on April 21 with a flow of 5950 cfs ( The prior peak was 13.31 on April 13 and the current stage is 14.4 ft). The Fox River at Algonquin tailwater gage is forecasted to crest at 12.8 feet on April 21.
Operations
All gates at Stratton and Algonquin dams are fully opened. The outflows from Stratton dam are already 5550 cfs. Flood of record matching the 1960 event is expected. Fox Lake is expected to crest at 8.0 feet on April 22. Outflows from Stratton Dam are expected to crest near 6700 cfs. I have no estimate for how high the Stratton Tailwater will get as this will be higher than any flows recorded.
A Restricted Boating Area has been issued for the Fox River from Wisconsin/Illinois State Line to Montgomery Dam effective at 3pm April 17, 2013. This restriction encompasses all of the Fox River and Chain of Lakes in Lake and McHenry Counties.
April 17, 2013 - Current Condtions
ENTIRE FOX RIVER CHAIN OLAKES SYSTEM CLOSED
The Fox Waterway Agency (FWA) has received notice from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) that conditions for navigation warrant restrictions on the Fox River and Chain OLakes, and thus, IDNR in concurrence with the U.S. Coast Guard has declared:
ZONE A Algonquin to the Stratton Lock and Dam CLOSED
ZONE B Upper River Stratton Lock and Dam North of Pistakee Lake CLOSED
ZONE C Chain O Lakes from Pistakee Lake North to the Wisconsin State Line - CLOSED
The designation will remain in effect until the IDNR determines that navigation is no longer significantly dangerous to the
public EFFECTIVE 3:00 P.M. APRIL 17th, 2013.
IDNR Memorandum APRIL 17th, 2013 Click Here
April 16, 2013 - Current Condtions
Click Here
April 11, 2013 - Current Condtions
Click Here
April 9, 2013 - Current Condtions
Inflows to the Chain of Lakes are 1640 cfs and rising based on the stream gages at Fox River near New Munster, Wisconsin and Nippersink Creek near Spring Grove. The Fox River watershed has received approximately Ύ of rain as recorded this morning at 8am. The Chain of Lake stage is 3.8 at Fox Lake which is the low end of normal summer pool. Outflows from Stratton Dam are 1660 cfs.
Forecast
The National Weather Service (NWS) is predicting 1 to 1 Ό of precipitation over the Fox River watershed upstream of Stratton Dam for today. With this additional precipitation, the NWS is predicting the Fox River near New Munster, Wisconsin will peak at 3630 cfs on April 12, 2013. In addition to rainfall today, the NWS is predicting an additional 1 of rain over the Fox River watershed from 6am April 10 to 6am April 11. No corresponding crest for the Fox River near New Munster, Wisconsin is available based on the 1 rainfall for April 10- 11, 2013.
Operations
The Office of Water Resources will monitor rainfall. Outflows will be increased incrementally based on the stage at Fox Lake and the predicted inflows, based on observed rainfall, according to our operation guide. Updates will be issues tomorrow and Wednesday and additional days if conditions change. The Stratton and Algonquin Dams Operation Guide can be found at
Click Here
January 30, 2013 - IDNR Current Condtions
Inflows to the Chain of Lakes at 8am this morning were 1670 cfs as shown at Fox River near New Munster, Wisconsin and Nippersink Creek near Spring Grove stream gages. The Fox Lake stage is 3.05 feet. Rainfall recorded over the past 72 hours was 2 over the entire watershed above Stratton Dam. Air temperature will drop below freezing to an overnight low of 14°. Outflows from Stratton Dam are 1475 cfs.
Forecast
The National Weather Service is predicting the Fox River near New Munster, Wisconsin will crest at 2390 cfs on Friday February 1. Total inflows to the Chain of Lakes are estimated to peak around 4000 cfs. Single digit air temperatures are forecasted for the Thursday and Friday.
Operations
The outflows at Stratton Dam are 1475 cfs. As the pool rises outflows will rise. 60 degree freezing days will be reached on Sunday and ice jams are possible. Therefore, outflows at Stratton Dam will be restricted to 1400 cfs on Sunday to minimize ice jam flooding. The Chain of Lakes is expected to rise above a stage of 5.0.
Illinois Fox River Chain O'Lakes is the busiest inland recreational waterway
per acre in the entire United States. Only an hour's drive from Chicago,
Milwaukee, and Rockford, and with over 7,100 acres of water, 15
lakes and 45 miles of river. This "Key West of the Midwest"
accommodates every water-borne activity including boating, swimming,
tubing, waterskiing, hunting and fishing, and appeals to everyone
from families and couples, to the more adventurous weekender. Chicagoland's playground for over 100 years also boasts some of the
best restaurants and marinas, two State Parks and other
entertainment venues and events unique only to the Fox River Chain O'Lakes.
 | The Fox Waterway
Agency is a regional body of government created by the State of
Illinois in 1984 to specifically manage the waterways of the Chain
O’Lakes and the Illinois Fox River. Since it is a
multi-jurisdictional Federal and State public waterway, we
are funded entirely by boating fees, grants, and legislative
funding. Those funds support the FWA’s main mission of dredging and
maintaining public safety through our buoy and debris program to
address the needs of our 3.5 million visitors per year. Recently,
we have begun a program to recycle lake and river sediment by
selling it as topsoil, with a goal to self-fund the multitude of
eroding shoreline and environmental restoration projects awaiting
work.
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