"It was amazing:" Water released from dam causes extensive flooding in Adams County

VILLAGE OF FRIENDSHIP, Wis. — Rushing water and major flooding in Adams County forced State Highway 13 to close near the Village of Friendship. Heavy rains led to a high water level on the lake and the privately-operated dam was intentionally opened around 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning, July 7th -- turning picnic tables in Friendship Park into little islands.

The water is now receding but it certainly made for an eventful day in the small town located about 30 minutes north of the Wisconsin Dells.

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"I was up having a cup of coffee, looking out the window this morning and I could tell the entire park was flooding. It was amazing," said a resident.

The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Watch for the area, and emergency personnel asked nearby residents to evacuate. But so far, no homes or businesses have reported issues.

"Along the creek bed there's been some trees that have come down because of that erosion. So there's probably some of that along the route of properties that lead up to the creek. Outside of that as physical property, I am not aware of any of that right now," said Adams County Sheriff Sam Wollin.

More than an inch of rain fell in the area on Thursday and Friday. The operator of the dam asked to open the gates to relieve pressure on the levee. By the afternoon, the waters were already receding.

State Highway 13 -- which runs over the dam and turns into Main Street in Friendship, is back open. But another county highway and a pair of streets downstream are still closed in stretches.

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