Businesses in Sheboygan along the river are concerned with high lake and river levels sending water into their storefronts.
The lake is at it’s highest level since 1986 according to the Army Corps of Engineers, 33 inches above the average for this time of year.
The Wharf Bait and Tackle Shop owners have had to line their building with sandbags to keep the water from coming back in.
These two pictures are less than 5 minutes apart. High lake levels and “lake surge” are causing some issues for businesses along the Sheboygan River Front. @tmj4 pic.twitter.com/zITm6z8K46
— Tom Durian (@TMJ4Tom) July 1, 2019
Last Sunday they had about 2 inches inside the store. “It’s just the clean up, it hasn't done any damage just yet… it doesn't take very long for it to come up and go back down” says Grace Brown.
Brown’s husband Jeffery says the problem is the high lake level combined with the high river level.
He says, “you’ve got three inches of play in the river right now. If the flow of the river increases or the lake blocks the flow from going, that three inches is eaten instantly.” Jeffrey blames the winds for most of the surge of water.
The Army Corps of Engineers doesn’t predict any relief. They project lake levels will rise by an inch in July. You can take a look at their data here.
