2025

October newsletter 2025

TRICK OR TREAT — THE MPOA office will be open on Halloween Friday, October 31st from 3 pm -7 pm for little ghosts, ghouls, goblins, clowns and angels to come by and Trick or Treat for candy! Thank you to the following organizations for donating the candy for the fun: The MPOA, the Ski Team, Sportsman’s Club, Yacht Club, Community Club, Lions Clubs, Snowmobile Club and the newly started Chamber of Commerce. The hours for Trick or Treating for the Village of Wonder Lake are 3 pm-8 pm.

Lake Manager’s Report – October 2025

1. The annual inspection of the Wonder Lake Dam and Sediment Drying Facility required by the State was conducted on October 3rd. In addition to MPOA and Village representatives, there were two engineers from the State, and three engineers from the MPOA engineering firm. All were favorably impressed by the on-going maintenance of these facilities. The accompanying engineering report which must be submitted to the State is expected by the end of the month, at which time it will be posted on the MPOA website. 

September 2025 newsletter

News from MPOA President Brad Dennison — Yacht Club is removing buoys October 4th Time for everyone to be careful when enjoying late season boat rides! Thank you to the volunteers from the Yacht Club for taking the time to put the safety buoys in and remove them each season. Protect Wonder Lake’s Shoreline The MPOA has invested millions of dollars in dredging Wonder Lake and thousands more installing rip rap to safeguard the islands. These efforts are vital—but they only go so far if individual shorelines remain unprotected.

Lake Manager’s Report – August 2025

1. The annual state required inspection of the Wonder Lake Dam and Sediment Drying Facility this fall has now been scheduled for October 2nd, 2025. 

2. The Nippersink Creek USGS stream gage at Thompson Road upstream of Wonder Lake recorded just under four inches of rain in the last month. The gage also showed the corresponding “spikes” in streamflow from the rainfall events, as shown below in the second chart. Nippersink streamflow into the lake today is at roughly 20 cubic feet per second (cfs), which is still below the 30-year average of 30 cfs for this date. 

Lake Manager's Report — July 2025

1. The MPOA soils committee is exploring using some of the proceeds from a pending SDF sediment sale to create a shelter at the SDF in which harvested sediment could be processed, kept dry, and available for future sales. 

2. A proposal to conduct our annual state required inspections of the dam and Sediment Drying Facility this fall has been received and approved. The proposal amount is the same as it was in 2024. The inspections are tentatively scheduled for early October 2025. 

July 2025 newsletter

A note from our Lake Manager Randy Stowe — The moderate drought across northern Illinois continues with less than two inches of rain recorded locally in the last month at the USGS stream gage on Nippersink Creek at Thompson Road up to yesterday. The volume of Nippersink stream flow coming into Wonder Lake currently is at only 12.4 cubic feet per second (cfs), while the long-term average for this time of year is 42 cfs; roughly a 70% decrease. USGS stream gage information for precipitation, discharge and stage is available below. 

June 2025 newsletter

!! We still need FIREWORKS DONATIONS !! 
Volunteers have been out on both sides of the lake every Saturday morning and we’re still short! Rather donate online? No problem! Click the donate button. Thanks in advance for contributing to a great show! 

REMINDER: The MPOA office will be closed July 4-6th. Please pick up your decals prior to the holiday!

Lake Manager's Report — June 2025

1. The MPOA committee working on developing a market for the dried sediment has worked with a local farmer to have them till the surface of the dried sediment to work up the soil and prevent weedy growth. 

 

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