Lake Pepin

River crests, but questions remain about damage, reopening

Jul 3, 2024

Water levels on the Mississippi River at Lake City were trending downward Tuesday after cresting at 17.26 feet earlier in the week. On Tuesday morning, the river was at 17.10 feet, still above the Minor Flood Stage lower bound of 16 feet. Flooding caused the closure of public boat ramps at Hok-Si-...

Students sail Sunfish in the rain

Jun 19, 2024

Novice sailors took to the water off Ohuta Beach Saturday in Sunfish sailboats during the Lake City Yacht Club’s Sailing School. The course was scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 15-16. Time is split between classroom and on-the-water instruction. Students learn the parts of the sailboat and...

Catamarans and more on Lake Pepin

Jun 12, 2024

All sorts of watercraft were afloat on Lake Pepin over the weekend, from bargest, to speedboats, to windsurfers.

Wind surfers find favorable conditions on Lake Pepin

May 1, 2024

Windy conditions on Lake Pepin on Friday, April 26, drew wind surfer Bill Sonnega (at left) from Northfield and some friends from Rochester to the area. -Photos by Ben Threinen

Coverage of a cover of coots

Apr 17, 2024

Lake City photographer Ben Threinen took this photo of coots just outside the Lake City Marina on April 9. According to wiktionary.org, collective nouns for a group of coots include “commotion, cover, covert, fleet, flock, pod, raft, rasp, or swarm.”

Officials update Mississippi River fish consumption guidelines

Apr 3, 2024

The Minnesota Department of Health has new and updated guidance on fish consumption for the Mississippi River from St. Paul to Wabasha, due to a mixture of pollutants — including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — found in fish tissue, according to a news release. The new guidance, issued...

Commercial navigation season begins on Lake Pepin

Mar 20, 2024

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, locked the Motor Vessel Joseph Patrick Eckstein with 12 barges through Lock and Dam 2, in Hastings, Minnesota, March 17, en route to St. Paul. The St. Paul District considers the first tow to arrive at Lock and Dam 2 as the unofficial start of...

Tow captain turned author: Breaking through ice an ‘unforgettable experience’

Mar 20, 2024

Lee Hendrix of Lake City spent over half a century piloting and working aboard commercial river boats. His new book, “Peep Light: Stories of a Mississippi River Boat Captain,” published this year by the University of Mississippi Press, documents his career piloting both passenger and cargo vessels...

Ice measurements canceled for the year

Feb 28, 2024

The 2023 commercial navigation season started March 12, when the Motor Vessel Phillip M Pfeffer broke its way through the ice of Lake Pepin to travel to St. Paul. Whichever boat is the first to traverse Lake Pepin this year may not encounter much ice on the lake, if any. The U.S. Army Corps of...

Lake Pepin ice is cracking up

Feb 14, 2024

Photographer Ben Threinen captured this aerial photo of the patterns formed by the cracking Lake Pepin ice. Ice conditions from an unusually warm winter caused the Frontenac Sportsman’s Club and Lake City Sportsman’s Club to have their fishing contest fundraisers on dry land. The Army Corps of...