Turtle Creek

A dam (creating Comus Lake) spills flow under N.Terrace Street. The dam is being rebuilt (2024/2025) and presently has boards in vertical slots. Unsure if it will have bottom spill lift-gates or if it will be top spill. Either way, water will sheet shallow across cement splash pan under the road. Midway under the bridge it meets the downstream pool height and creates a wave/hole. At many flows, this is likely playable.

Park and play is possible, and likely a 'best bet' for true whitewater boaters, ignoring the rest of the run, other than perhaps driving to Klug Road if you're interested in stalls and squirts in currents there.

The pool is decent sized, and flow exits to the left, spilling over rock rubble. At high flows, this will be 'washed out'. At lower flows, it will just be rocky. (The 'featured photo' atop this listing shows this rocky rubble at ~260 cfs.)

By our listed take-out, drainage area increases to ~202 square miles (more than 6x the put-in location).

Jackson Creek enters from river-left. About 0.3 mile upstream, it has a small dam off Zoellner Lane (also marked Waterworks Drive on some maps), adjacent to Andy's Park (a skate/bike park with ramps, etc.). I heard rumors this site might provide some play opportunities.

Jackson Creek has two gauges. The first is labeled 'Jackson Creek at Mound Road Near Elkhorn, WI', and has drainage area 16.5 square miles. The second gauge is about 260 yards downstream of a dam which regulates pond height for Delavan Lake. It lists drainage of 42.1 square miles. Oddly, while that gauge is on Jackson Creek, it is labeled 'Delavan Lake Outlet at Borg Road Near Delavan, WI'. At the Veterans Park dam, drainage is 51.3 Sq.Mi., so flow here could be 1.2 times that gauge reading. (Photo accompanying is at 72 cfs on that gauge, so possibly ~86 cfs coming through this dam.)

Outflow from the dam may look like it would provide some play (at some flows). However, when there is adequate flow to create a (potentially surfable) wave at the base of the spillway of the dam, the current rips through the short pool and drops over a small cement ledge, leaving precious little time or space for a paddler to stay in the short pool for any repeat play.

For years (and as of spring, 2025) there has been a large deadfall just downstream of this cement ledge. Beyond that, more strainers and sweepers, then a street-bridge for CTH.P lies which sits so low over the water that it will not allow boater passage at virtually any flow.

At this road crossing, the creek passes through three culverts. Snags may block some combination of (one, two, or all three) culverts. Approach with caution to carefully assess whether any are passable! The outflow (downstream side of the road/culverts) will contain somewhat strong currents as the stream hits a fairly deep pool. Minor play may be possible for proper whitewater boats at most flows. Primarily this would consist of bow-stalls or stern-squirts into the currents. If anyone still has a squirt boat, there could be some decent 'down time' here. Since there are dams and ponds upstream (on both the Turtle and Jackson creek), water is generally pretty clear for an upper Midwest stream.

Roadside parking is available, so this could be done as a PnP (park-and-play), or end of a short trip from the listed put-in.

FWIW, USGS lists another sampling site at this location, citing drainage area here as 84.7 square miles.

Testament to the popularity of this river (mostly for casual canoeists and recreational kayakers), Turtle Creek Access at State Highway 140 is at river right.