Johnson Lake levels lowered

Johnson Lake in south-central Nebraska was lowered two feet during the weekend as a precaution after seepage was discovered at the base of the dam.

Trickling water appeared Saturday and Sunday mornings and ceased during the afternoons, said Kevin Boyd, Gothenburg division manager for Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District.

“At this point, we don’t know where the water is coming from,” Boyd told district directors Monday in Holdrege, Neb. “The fact that it’s clear water — and not muddy water which could be indicative of piping within the dam — might mean that the water is simply from melting snow and ice from the dam, which is covered with more snow than we’ve seen for quite some time.’’

Central reported the seepage to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s dam safety office in Chicago as required.

A public golf course is located below the dam on the south side of the lake. The lake’s 11-mile shoreline is lined with nearly 900 homes and cabins.

Winter has been tough at the 2,500-acre lake, a popular recreational site south of Lexington. Thick ice cover on the lake has caused heaving and buckling of the shoreline in some places, particularly in the East Shore area. As the ice cover builds, thaws, re-freezes and cracks, large sections of ice have pushed into the shoreline, said Frank Vetter, Central real estate manager. The ice has damaged the riprap shoreline protection and buckled lawns and sidewalks adjacent to the shoreline.

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