Watershed District Prepares Gray's Bay Dam for Winter
A sure sign that open water recreation on Lake Minnetonka is coming to an end for the year.
You may not have needed a reminder, but the Minnehaha Creek Watershed Distrit (MCWD) has its own signal that winter is near. This morning the District and city of Minnetonka winterized the Gray's Bay dam, installing metal stop logs to protect the gates from ice. The logs are stacked six high in each of the dam's three columns and will hold back the water while the dam gates are lifted. Gray's Bay is the easternmost point of Lake Minnetonka and the headwaters of the Minnehaha Creek. The District has operated the dam since it was built in 1975, following a strict procedure set by the Department of Natural Resources to control water levels in the lake and creek. The logs go in before the lake freezes but after the water level has dropped …
