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The controversial drawdown plan on the Manitowish Chain of lakes will continue for at least two more years under an extended agreement between the DNR and Xcel Energy.
The parties signed a memorandum of understanding that will keep the water-management plan in place through 2023.
Each October, water levels on the 10-lake chain are drawn down three and a half feet by releasing water through the Rest Lake Dam.
That protects permanent docks, boathouses, and seawalls from winter ice damage.
However, it also disrupts the natural flow of the Manitowish River by flooding it in the fall instead of the spring.