Pinhook Lake was about 18 inches above normal before crews removed debris blocking a dam

SOUTH BEND – After a few days of rising water at Pinhook Lake, a contractor was able to clear debris Wednesday that wasn’t allowing the small body of water to drain into the St. Joseph River.

An adjustable weir or small dam is used to control the level of the water in the lake, which was created from a bend in the river in the 1930s.

Eric Horvath, the city’s public works director, said sticks and other debris built up in the weir, thereby allowing the water in Pinhook to build up.

After city workers unsuccessfully tried to clear the obstruction, an outside contractor had to be called in because the rising water was starting to creep up the lawns of some homes surrounding Pinhook.

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Horvath estimated that the water in the lake was about 18 inches higher than normal.

By early Wednesday afternoon, the work was completed and the lake was starting to drain into the river, Horvath said. “It should be back to normal levels in 24 to 48 hours.”

Horvath said a buildup of natural materials is normal because the water flows in the direction of the drainage connection, but he couldn't rule out that it also might have been caused by a beaver or two.

"It certainly wouldn't be atypical behavior," he said.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Contractor clears debris blocking drainage control at Pinhook Lake