Small Wisconsin Town Uses Dynamite To Blow Up Ice Dam

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A small town in Wisconsin turned to dynamite when heavy machinery wouldn't clear up an ice dam on a creek.

The town of Onalaska, near La Crosse, Wis., used dynamite to blow up ice on Sand Lake Coulee Creek that was, at some points, six feet deep.

The ice dam was forcing the water to run around a dike, and the water was getting close to about a dozen homes.

The town board went to lawmakers and the DNR to get permits to blow up the ice to avoid damage from the water.

Crews dug out the channel after the explosion and water was flowing by the next day.