BRODHEAD - An effort to restore Decatur Lake has been gaining ground within the Brodhead community thanks to efforts by the Decatur Lake and Mill Race Association.
"If we don't do anything ... there will be no water that will flow through," said Jaine Winters, the group's treasurer. "There won't be a lake."
Winters said public response during a meeting Tuesday was positive. Now the goal is to use feedback from residents to develop solutions.
"We are reviewing options that are viable and cost-effective and steps that can improve our area over years and possibly decades," Winters said. "This is the first step of trying to figure out what we can undo."
The problem has been a build-up of sediment, resulting in a higher lake bottom and an increase in plant life caused by more phosphorous being washed downstream into the body of water. The scenic body of water along the edge of the Decatur Lake Golf Course in Brodhead has become greener over time. While more plant life is beneficial for fish, Winters noted that it is bad for waterflow.
These are naturally occurring problems that need to be addressed or the water will recede so far, the lake will barely exist. During the meeting in September, minutes indicate that detailed maps created by Montgomery Associates Resource Solutions of Cottage Grove showed historical conditions and the current state of Decatur Lake.
Winters said a team of professionals were hired from the company, including hydrogeologists and a restoration professional named Dave Marshall of Underwater Habitat Investigations in Barneveld.
A member of the public particularly involved with efforts to improve the lake is Susan Lehnhardt, an ecologist and president of the Lower Sugar River Watershed Association. Lehnhardt attended the meeting and said she was happy to see a project to keep the lake in place because of the larger consequences its disappearance could have on waterways in the area.
"The health of the lake is really a mirror of the health of the surrounding waterway," Lehnhardt said. "The solution to the lake needs to address that sediment. There are about 400 to 500 square miles of agricultural watershed north of Decatur Lake."
Water makes its way from the southeast corner of Dane County down to the Pecatonica River and ends in Illinois. Decatur Lake is a part of that process.
The effort to improve Decatur Lake is part of a larger project to restore the Mill Race, which is part of the Pearl Island recreational corridor. The tributary serves as a hotspot for people engaging in water-based activities. It spans roughly 3 miles.
DLMRA recently obtained a grant through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for $25,000, which aids the fundraising done by the group to ensure the project can be successful.
"The lake is an important asset to the community and has a long history of recreation," Lehnhardt said. "This project gives the community an opportunity to come together and solve problems."
The next meeting during which Winters said the organization will announce its initial plans for the restoration project is scheduled for 9 a.m. Dec. 16 at the Bank of Brodhead.
"If we don't do anything ... there will be no water that will flow through," said Jaine Winters, the group's treasurer. "There won't be a lake."
Winters said public response during a meeting Tuesday was positive. Now the goal is to use feedback from residents to develop solutions.
"We are reviewing options that are viable and cost-effective and steps that can improve our area over years and possibly decades," Winters said. "This is the first step of trying to figure out what we can undo."
The problem has been a build-up of sediment, resulting in a higher lake bottom and an increase in plant life caused by more phosphorous being washed downstream into the body of water. The scenic body of water along the edge of the Decatur Lake Golf Course in Brodhead has become greener over time. While more plant life is beneficial for fish, Winters noted that it is bad for waterflow.
These are naturally occurring problems that need to be addressed or the water will recede so far, the lake will barely exist. During the meeting in September, minutes indicate that detailed maps created by Montgomery Associates Resource Solutions of Cottage Grove showed historical conditions and the current state of Decatur Lake.
Winters said a team of professionals were hired from the company, including hydrogeologists and a restoration professional named Dave Marshall of Underwater Habitat Investigations in Barneveld.
A member of the public particularly involved with efforts to improve the lake is Susan Lehnhardt, an ecologist and president of the Lower Sugar River Watershed Association. Lehnhardt attended the meeting and said she was happy to see a project to keep the lake in place because of the larger consequences its disappearance could have on waterways in the area.
"The health of the lake is really a mirror of the health of the surrounding waterway," Lehnhardt said. "The solution to the lake needs to address that sediment. There are about 400 to 500 square miles of agricultural watershed north of Decatur Lake."
Water makes its way from the southeast corner of Dane County down to the Pecatonica River and ends in Illinois. Decatur Lake is a part of that process.
The effort to improve Decatur Lake is part of a larger project to restore the Mill Race, which is part of the Pearl Island recreational corridor. The tributary serves as a hotspot for people engaging in water-based activities. It spans roughly 3 miles.
DLMRA recently obtained a grant through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for $25,000, which aids the fundraising done by the group to ensure the project can be successful.
"The lake is an important asset to the community and has a long history of recreation," Lehnhardt said. "This project gives the community an opportunity to come together and solve problems."
The next meeting during which Winters said the organization will announce its initial plans for the restoration project is scheduled for 9 a.m. Dec. 16 at the Bank of Brodhead.