Inside this month pages you will find:
TURNING THE LIGHTS BACK ON Summer Storms Impact Members & Activate ROPE Assistance
ELECTRICAL ACCIDENT IMPACTS COUPLE’S LIVES: ‘NORMAL BEFORE WILL NOT BE NORMAL AFTER’
MACHICKANEE FLOWAGE PARTIAL DRAWDOWN and more
Inside: Do we have unclaimed capital credits for you?, OEC director Vern Gisenas passes away and more.
Inside you will find: We’re Ready for Storm Season. Are you?, Right-Of-Way Clearing Improves Service for All, 2021 OEC Employee Charities, Concerns of Ongoing Pandemic Cancels Member Appreciation Picnic, and more.
Stiles Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. 1981) Machickanee Flowage Drawdown
Press Release
Oconto Electric Cooperative (OEC) will be hosting a public information meeting to provide the public with information about the proposed drawdown of the Machickanee Flowage. The meeting will be held on June 15, 2021, 1 PM, at the Stiles Town Hall, located at 5718 Watercrest Road, Lena, WI 54139.
OEC is planning a temporary five-foot drawdown at the Machickanee Flowage upstream of the Stiles Hydroelectric Project (Project). The purpose of the drawdown is management of aquatic invasive species, excessive plant growth, and consolidation of flowage substrate for the purpose of improvements to navigation.
The drawdown is scheduled to begin the week of July 5, 2021, weather dependent and following regulatory approval. The water level of the flowage will be lowered over approximately 10 to 14 days at an average rate of 3 to 6 inches per day (depending on rainfall). Once the maximum drawdown of five feet is reached, the water level will be maintained at this level for approximately 70 days. Upon drawdown completion, the flowage will be refilled over approximately 10 days to a level within the normal operational range. The total duration of the project is planned for approximately three months.
Public foot traffic in the exposed areas may pose a public safety risk. The public is asked to stay away from the exposed river/flowage bed. Additionally, picking items off the bed of the river, and disturbing sediment may require permits from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The public boat landing will be closed until the flowage is returned to normal water levels.
Please contact OEC at 920-846-2816 if you have any questions about this project.
Click here to view slideshow from the meeting.
Information on aquatic invasive species is available on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website:
Inside you will find: OEC 2021 Scholarship Recipients, A Day at the Farm – OEC Members Host Oconto County Breakfast on the Farm, Oconto Electric Hosts In-Person Annual Meeting, Machickanee Flowage Partial Drawdown Q&A, and more.
Inside you will find: Beautify Your Yard, Not Utility Equipment, 3rd Grade Safety Poster Contest, Community Change, Youth Leadership Congress goes Virtual and more.
Inside you will find: OEC Joins Regional Electric Cooperatives to Create CHARGE EV, LLC, Respect the Orange Signs: Move Over and Slow Down in Work Zones, Four Electrifying Kitchen Appliances to Save Time and Energy, Business Showcase: The Cottages at Meadowlands, and more.
Inside you will find: “Change” Matter Grant Now Accepting Applications, 2021 Starts Off Charitably, Mother Nature’s Wrath Can Mean Service Disruptions, Five Ways to Stay Cozy this Winter, Business Showcase – Ray’s Boneyard Saloon and more.
Community Change is a project of Oconto Electric Cooperative. Members can sign up to have their electric bills rounded up to the next whole dollar, with the extra money going into the Community Change fund. In addition, due to the generosity of the former Bay Lakes Cooperative, Community Change has additional funding available for this special grant. To be considered, an organization should show through this grant application how an innovative idea for funding could provide far-reaching enhancement for a neighborhood or community. Grant(s) will be awarded to projects being done in the footprint of the former Bay Lakes territory and the current Oconto Electric service territory. Request not to exceed $4,000 (grant total could be split based on the nature and scope of applications received). Grant application deadline is March 1, 2021.