Wisconsin Dells is 90 percent up-and-running

Talk about it

Don’t let the draining of Lake Delton keep you away from Wisconsin Dells. That’s the message the Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau is trying to hammer home today (Wednesday).

It has a message on its Web site and its toll-free phone line, urging folks not to cancel their vacation plans.

Resorts along Lake Delton started getting cancellations almost as soon as the news got out Tuesday.

Part of Sauk County Trunk A washed out, flushing almost all the lake water down the Wisconsin River through a channel it created.

Three homes were washed away and two others were destroyed.

Nobody was hurt. A nearby dam was not involved, and did not fail.

The visitor bureau says 90 percent of Dells businesses remain open, including all of the area’s 21 water parks.

The major attraction on the lake, the Tommy Bartlett Show, will resume the on-shore part of its performances on Thursday.

Those planning to stay on Lake Delton are urged to check on their reservations before they leave.

This morning, construction crews have been trying to restore sewage services on both sides of the breach. Crews welded 500 feet of temporary pipes together when they hit a snag.

In the meantime, raw sewage flowed into the Wisconsin River.

Elsewhere, state officials are monitoring a number of dams that either failed or came close to it. No major damage has been reported.

Heavy flooding continues in parts of southern Wisconsin.

Officials are now assessing the damage.

Tags: wisconsin, news, dells, open