The winter drawdown of Lake Zumbro will begin mid-November lowering lake level to 913.0 MSL.  Due to dredging and maintenance repairs, the winter drawdown will occur later than normal.  These plans are subject to change depending on the completion of the dredging & repair project and precipitation.

During the period of mid-November through March, Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) will attempt to maintain the lake level at the winter pool of 913.0 MSL.

Real-time lake level information, along with Lake Zumbro hydro updates are available on the RPU web site (www.rpu.org). For additional information regarding the Zumbro Hydroelectric Facility please contact Tony Benson at (507) 280-1534.

Tips for lake ice safety:

Be extremely careful during winter activities that involve Lake Zumbro such as ice fishing, snowmobiling or just walking out on the frozen lake.

Watch the weather and river flow conditions.

Ice thickness and condition can vary greatly. Be very cautious.

Look out for ice heaves and exposed logs and snags.

Be cautious in the vicinity of the dam. De-icing equipment has been installed along the upstream face of the dam resulting in open water and/or thin ice.

Do not proceed past the warning signs and buoys.

About Rochester Public Utilities

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 110 years, RPU provides high-quality and reliable electricity to over 55,000 customers.  Water customers number more than 40,000.  RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive.  Current initiatives include photovoltaic offerings, wind energy, energy and water efficient equipment, and electric vehicle charging.

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Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) customers will soon be able to review water and electric usage, enroll in paperless billing, autopay, one-time payments, options available for fast, easy, and secure payments and more with the new RPU Connect mobile application and customer website.

RPU Connect is a free mobile application that provides secure access to accounts, payment options, and tracks your usage. These same features will also be available through an online customer portal designed for desktop computers.

In addition to the features mentioned above, customers also have the ability to select “notification” preferences to receive proactive billing alerts, via email, text or phone. As well as securely connecting with our Customer Relations Team via email, using the “connect me” feature of RPU Connect.

The mobile app will be available on both iOS and Android platforms.

Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) customers will soon be able to review water and electric usage, enroll in paperless billing, autopay, one-time payment options available for pay their monthly bill and more with the new RPU Connect mobile application and customer website.

RPU Connect is a free mobile application that provides secure access to accounts, payment options and power usage tracking. The same services will also be available through an online customer portal designed for desktop computers.

In addition to the features mentioned above, customers also have the ability to select “notification” preferences to receive alerts for outages and bill due reminders. Through the “connect me” feature of RPU Connect, customers can interact with customer support without ever having to dial in.

The mobile app will be available on both iOS and Android platforms.