Stuck Motor Boats Alluvial Deposits Wisconsin Dells Slough

The Wisconsin Dells River Road Slough Boat Slip Rental struggles with alluvial deposits with the increased number of flooding events.  The River Road slough is a low lying area along the Wisconsin River that provides reserve space for the more frequent Wisconsin River elevations.

With each high water event brings more unconsolidated sediments which become easily stuck upon the uneven bottom of the Wisconsin River slough.   Motor boats paying to rent space along a pier that extends out into the River Road slough then encounter heavy metal propellers becoming stuck in this muck.  Far from being just aquatic foliage - this is more like pebble, sand, silt, wood, and clay deposits.

It has become more common to hear the loud persistent grind of a stationary boat motor as the renter of the slip hopes to force the unconsolidated sediment off the bottom of the water where their boat is expected to freely float back and forth.  A commonly observed practice is to have one person (less weight) start and free the boat - traveling out toward the launch where those waiting on the pier can load the boat and come aboard.

This is expected to worsen as property owners adjacent to the Wisconsin River pay for excavation that increases the depth of low lying areas to reduce high water creep toward their dwellings.  Property owners with ponds that connect to the Wisconsin River will pay to have the pond dug deeper to better accommodate the additional water and prevent their nearby dwelling from flooding out.

This excavation further un-consolidates water beds which increases sediment release. The repetitive flooding brings the deposits in to the River Road Slough and prevents the bottom from ever being altogether flat.