Washed away

What a difference a day makes!

Lake Delton was an artificial lake of about 250 acres. When the lake's water began to drain into the Wisconsin River, the water level was falling at a rate of about eight feet an hour. By the time Tom and I drove by there late in the afternoon between errands, it was almost empty -- just a big mudflat surrounded by docks with boats hanging in the air. We saw a helicopter flying the governor overhead to see the mess before setting him down for a news conference.

The economic impact on the area will be big, although there are no reliable estimates yet. The Tommy Bartlett Sky and Water Show, one of the biggest attractions in the Dells area for decades, has to close down because the water is gone. Ironically, their sign today said the show was closed due to flooding. As Tom pointed out, the problem now is not too much water, but too little.

Condominiums, boat rental places and resorts cluster around the lake, but not too many people are going to want to spend their tight gasoline dollars for a week smelling the stench of rotting fish and vegetation. Who knows how many people will be kept away just because of stories about the damage up here. Restaurants and hotels throughout the area are holding their breath, hoping that there will be no problems created by sewage backup. In that case, even lots of places not on the lake itself will have to shut down.

Word at the bank (I have heard) was that business in the Dells area was already down about 30%, due mainly to the price of gasoline presumably and related price hikes in food. Bad weekend weather is always another bad factor for the tourism industry, but we did not expect the bad weather to have this dramatic effect on a major draw.

We were pretty sure 2008 was going to be a lean year. Now it might get downright bony.

One bright note in this tragedy -- not a life was lost, nor were there any serious injuries.