Posted on January 29, 2025
Sediment samples drilled through ice
WEYAUWEGA – If you see a man with a pickup truck and a very large auger on Lake Weyauwega this winter, he isn’t ice fishing. He’s taking samples from the lakebed. The Weyauwega Lake Restoration group recently got the green light from the Department of Natural Resources to dredge a section of the lake. Taking core samples is part of the process. Badger Laboratories will drill to a depth of five feet and take three samples.
The dredging will remove three feet of sediment over 21 acres. The group hopes to sell the sediment as fertilizer to raise funds for their efforts. The dredging will take place on the far end of the lake at the mouth of the Waupaca River and Whiskey Creek. It will not disturb the nesting of the black terns as they tend gather further upriver. Currently the area to be dredged is choked with weeds and barely navigable.
“It will change the entire character of the lake. It won’t solve all the problems of the lake but it’s a positive step,” said Bob Van Epps. He noted the water temperature will be much cooler after the dredging.
The group has worked on this project for years and was set back even further because of Covid. They will be having a fundraising auction later this spring. Stange’s of Waupaca donated thousands of dollars of household merchandise for their cause. Also they are planning a golf outing in the summer. They seek more public involvement, especially anyone with grant-seeking experience.
