In preparation for winter, City Utilities will be temporarily lowering the St. Joseph River level north of the St. Joseph Dam in order to remove the dam’s flashboards. Beginning Sunday October 23 at noon, the river will be lowered to allow the dam’s spillway to dry up so that crews can safely remove the flashboards on Tuesday, October 25, 2016.

Residents with docks or with boats tied along the St. Joseph River should be aware of changing river levels and take appropriate precautions to protect their property.

River levels should return to normal by October 28, 2016. The work could be delayed if it’s raining on October 25 and the spillways are too wet to safely remove the flashboards.

Flashboards are installed in the spring to raise the level of the river north of the dam. This is done to increase the amount of water held behind the dam, to ensure that Fort Wayne has an adequate water supply during peak summer months.