Wall Lake, just west of Sioux Falls, is a popular recreational hot spot. But the hot, dry weather is beginning to take its toll on the lake. And now some are worried it could get worse.
A wall of rocks is beginning to emerge at Wall Lake. Homeowners tell us the lake is down as much as three feet in some areas.
Mike Gunn is a boat repairman. He's out testing a motor he just fixed and says his shop has been busy because of the hot, dry weather.
"I've seen a lot of problems with the boats I work on, the algae gets in there and gets hard water deposits and creates problems with the water pump and stuff," Gunn said.
Gunn has also seen a lot of damaged boat propellers that have hit rocks in the shallow water. One positive is there's a lot more beach this year.
The lake is not in deep trouble by any means, but you can see the water line along the shores showing how high the water use to be. And some homeowners around the lake have had to move their boat lifts out farther just to get them in the water.
"I've noticed drops in a lot of bodies of waters being out fishing all the time," Ron Odegaard said.
Odegaard fishes at Wall Lake a lot. He fears the dry weather is going to dry up his favorite past time.
"I think if it gets any worse, [we'll] probably have some more fish kills here, you know that water temp is going to ruin them," Odegaard said.
So he's hoping for smoother sailing in the future.
"If we get another year like this, I might go back to water skiing instead of fishing, there might not be anything left to do," Odegaard said.
People say the fishing on the lake has been good, but fear that's going to change if the hot dry weather continues.
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