MENASHA, Wis. (WFRV) – Following a dry El Niño winter that saw nearly half as much snowfall as usual, boat owners have serious concerns that their prized possessions might not make it into the water.

“All we need is enough water to avoid hitting bottom somewhere,” Randy Strey of Menasha said, who is expecting the arrival of a new tri-toon in May.

“It looks like it’s gone up the last couple of days, so I think I might be able to get it to float off the lift now at this point, but that does fluctuate day to day,” Shane Correll said.

He is right, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fox River chief Raymond Frana, who regulates water levels in the Fox River Basin with dams. Last week’s mix of snow and rain helped get the water levels back on schedule.

“With the lack of snow, we did not get that uncontrolled rise. Also, our ice came off two weeks earlier than the soonest that we’ve seen it,” Frana said of the unusual winter. “Once we get the ice off, we target an elevation of 2.5 feet by May 1. Today, we’re actually at 2.52.”

Those measurements are based off Lake Winnebago’s capacity. The dams are opened to lower water levels in the fall, and are opened again in the spring, both to prevent ice shoves.

“Once October hits then we start to draw down again,” Frana said. “In wintertime, we draw down between 1.7 and 1.2 feet.”

The dams remain closed in the summer to allow plants to grow, which is beneficial for all competing interests that are impacted by the waterways because the water quality is able to dramatically improve.

“We target that 2.5 feet by May 1 which then allows rooted plants to grow on the bottom of the lake,” Frana said.

The rest of the year, there are several different factors U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has to consider for its constituents.

“You have recreational boaters who want the water high, you have farmers who want the water lower because the water will back up the tile lines and not give them better drainage, we have environmental concerns, we have property owners along Winnebago, they don’t want ice shoves to damage property and shorelines,” Frana said.

And when the dam gates open, smaller vessels know they need to be alert.

“When there’s a lot of velocity, then you have to watch out for turning the corner when this little canal feeds into the main river,” canoer Roger Kanitz said.

With the water levels steady in early April, Frana believes that they will continue to be throughout the summer, although that remains subject to change based on varying rainfall amounts.