Posted on September 28, 2017
By Jennifer Fetterly, The Star
Dane County is cleaning up a century worth of phosphorus-polluting sediment that causes algae blooms to pollute waters, shut down beaches and kill wildlife.
Dane County’s “Suck the Muck” $12 million, four-year plan will clean up 870,000 pounds of phosphorus in the legacy sludge from 33 miles of streams in the Yahara watershed.
Experts say 1 pound of phosphorus has the potential to create 500 pounds of algae blooms.
The clean-up in Dorn Creek is expected to wrap up in spring.
Officials will then set their sights on the remaining targeted waterways—Six Mile Creek, Token Creek, Upper Yahara River near DeForest, Door Creek running through Cottage Grove, and Nine Springs Creek near Fitchburg.
The project will cut in half the time it would take for the Dane County to reach its phosphorus-reducing goals, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi said.
“Instead of it taking 99 years we could reach the goals in our lifetime. We are not going to see the lakes clean up overnight, so we need to stick to it,” Parisi said during the “Suck the Muck” presentation to the Sun Prairie Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 21.
The watershed includes the lakes of Mendota, Monona, Kegonsa, and Waubesa.
With the Dorn Creek clean-up nearly two months into it, Dane County officials can see the sand gravel bottom again and hopefully turtles, birds and fish will return to the waterways soon. A U.S. Geological Survey station 2.5 miles upstream from Lake Mendota at Middleton will provide important data on the legacy sediment removal effects, said Kyle Minks, Dane County Land and Water Resource Scientist.
Dane County officials said targeted efforts will continue to keep legacy sediment from resettling in the cleaned up streams.
During the hydraulic dredging process, screens and barriers are being put up to trap sediment from floating downstream. The highly-nutrient sediment is being trucked to Dorn Creek County Wildlife Area and seeded with prairie grass. As the project grows, Parisi said the county will look at options to put the sludge on private lands, or sell it as compost to farmers and gardeners.
The project includes $9 million for dredging and $3 million for habitat restoration, including buffer zones along the streams to prevent agriculture phosphorus from entering the streams.
Dane County will continue to work with farmers and other partners to keep phosphorus out of the waterways.
Source: The Star
