Posted on November 19, 2025
ALTOONA – A local group is frustrated after an important Lake Altoona project has been delayed for at least one year.
Eau Claire County was planning to conduct a dam repair in 2026. But changes to the recently approved county budget means that project is now pushed into the next budget cycle.
This timeline is important to the Friends of Lake Altoona group and the Lake District. They were planning to schedule a dredging project during the dam repairs while the water was drawn down to save money.
Because the county rescheduled its repair project, the Friends of Lake Altoona are doing the same.
“It’s very disappointing to us to have it postponed, and we hope they maintain the revised schedule to get the drawdown done as soon as possible,” Mark Sabin, treasurer of the Friends of Lake Altoona.
Sabin said it’s important a dredging project is completed on Lake Altoona. The goal of this project is to remove sand on the bottom of the lake. This makes it easier for boaters to navigate.
Before the setback, the dredging project was scheduled to begin next winter. Now the lake Altoona dredging project is projected to start in December of 2027.
A local group is frustrated after an important Lake Altoona project has been delayed for at least one year.
