• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

Saving Delavan Lake: A history of lake restoration

Photo

Delavan Lake watershed.

Editor's note: Delavan Lake was not always the pristine gem and economic engine that it is today. This four part series, first published in Walworth County Sunday examines efforts to keep this natural treasure healthy.

DELAVAN LAKE -- The troublesome early '80s led to the Delavan Lake Sanitary District constructing sewers around the lake to stop point-source pollution, which was thought to be the cause for poor water quality. The cost of this system was nearly $50 million.

However, just a few years later, water quality deteriorated; there were worse algae blooms, causing restrictions on swimming and lake usage.

[Read the full story in the June 26, 2011 e-edition of Walworth County Sunday, HERE.]

Residents again rallied and organized a three-year study in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The Lake Committee was formed to help the town manage the lake.

By 1989, a comprehensive rehabilitation project began. The $7 million project was completed within three years and included:

• Drawing down the lake's water level by 10 feet to facilitate the eradication of the entire fish population.

• Building three ponds near Mound Road to help capture sediment coming from Jackson Creek before the water entered the inlet and dredging a sediment control channel in the inlet.

• Reconstructing the dam at the end of the outlet.

• Treating the bottom of the lake to trap phosphorus sediments and prevent them from re-entering the lake.

• Constructing a peninsula near Community Park to divert sediment-laden water from entering the main lake by redirecting it toward the outlet.

• Restocking game fish as the lake refilled to its normal level.

The project was a success. By 1991, water clarity was at 26 feet deep. Additional projects were undertaken to purchase and restore wetlands.

This effort was one of the nation's largest lake rehabilitation projects and demonstrated effective partnerships among several federal, state and local governmental agencies.

Still, over time, the effectiveness of these measures changed. The Mound Road ponds filled in at a faster rate than expected, causing the need for a dredging project and the most recent work in the area.

So, that leaves those who care about the lake to keep working on sustainable solutions to keep the watershed a place where people want to live and visit.

"We never want to return to the pre-rehabilitation days," Mary Knipper said. "We want to tap into whatever funding resources we can and get the biggest bang for our buck. Those dollars are best spent on maintaining and taking care of the watershed as we go along. We want this to be chapter two in the Delavan Lake success story, not just for us but as a legacy to our children and grandchildren."

Maggie Zoellner, project director for the Kettle Moraine Land Trust, agreed that a coordinated and concerted effort from many parties is the only way to achieve that.

"We're fortunate to have such a beautiful resource as Delavan Lake, and we need to keep it that way," Zoellner said. "Not just for Delavan, Elkhorn or us. It's for future generations. And that's why we need an organized, committed effort."

Read:

• June 26, 2011: A call to action to save Delavan Lake

• June 27, 2011: Network promotes health of Delavan Lake

• June 28, 2011: Delavan Lake dredging project key to success

• June 29, 2011: A history of Delavan Lake restoration

[Read the full story in the June 26, 2011 e-edition of Walworth County Sunday, HERE.]