Would you believe? Two more lake closures again in the past month due to high water. In a way we should feel fortunate. We haven’t had any of those big five or six inch rains this summer – for the first time in a while – but with the ground so saturated with water, the two and three inch rains are more than enough to close the lake. And once again, the Association Maintenance boat goes out to haul in the large and dangerous “pieces” of drift floating in the lake as a result. (I say “pieces” … some of these “pieces” are like huge trees.)
An example of a recent lake closure occurred on Sept. 28. There had been a steady rain that afternoon, and several Association members had gone into Gallatin to the annual Kickin’ Cancer with Kindness fund-raiser. Normally a street event, the Kickin’ Cancer gig had to be moved inside the Methodist Church. The event was a success by the way. Over $10,000 raised for this great cause, but on the way back to Lake Viking, deep water from a flooded ditch was running over a low spot in the road just east of the Lake Viking Church. Everyone had to detour.
Wouldn’t you know it: lake closed! Then, a week later, more rain came. Normally the 1¾” might not be enough to close the lake, but with the ground already saturated, it was. Once again, the Association Maintenance crew went out & pulled more big pieces of drift out of the water. By the way, somewhere in the mix, there was hail. We were gone and missed it, and it certainly wasn’t a major hail event as in 2009 and 2011, but there have been a few damage claims. My neighbor Adam Whitney, who has a roofing company, tells me that one house may have damage while another house across the street remains unscathed.
Anyway, back to my fake news headline. Driftwood 4 Sale! It’s a close-out clearance sale. Rock bottom prices! Everything marked down! Everything goes! The Association Maintenance Crew has pulled a HUGE INVENTORY of drift out of the lake this year. — By Troy Lesan
