Posted on July 16, 2025
The Blueprint
- Wisconsin DNR partners with Ducks Unlimited on wetland restoration.
- Dredging aims to reduce flooding near Brillion, Wisconsin.
- Project will remove invasive cattails and sediment to improve flow.
- Funding comes from Waterfowl Stamp and conservation program funds.
BRILLION, Wis. — The state wildlife agency will advance a dredging project to reduce flooding near Brillion.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources last Wednesday announced it will partner with non-profit Ducks Unlimited and embark on a wetland project on the north branch of the Manitowoc River on the northwest side of the Brillion State Wildlife Area in Calumet County.
The DNR and Ducks Unlimited planned to start engineering work for the project in the fall, agency officials said. Dredging is expected to begin in 2026 depending on engineering details, site conditions and contracting, officials added.
The project calls for removal of excess cattail mats and sediment in parts of the channel and improve flow within the river and surrounding marsh, officials said. The channel was closed off because of dense mats of invasive species, which slowed stream flow and soiled habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife, officials added.
Ducks weren’t the only ones affected. Farms, businesses and homes saw flooding when heavy rainfall occurred.
Golf course owner Glen Braun told NBC 26 multiple holes on his course would be completely underwater after two or three inches of rain. The story is similar for other manmade structures that encounter river overflow that typically travels 100-200 feet inland.
During the state budget process, the Wisconsin Legislature earmarked the Brillion project and wanted to require the DNR to spend $70,000 to dredge the Manitowoc River. However, early in the morning on July 3, Gov. Tony Evers vetoed the measure and wrote lawmakers should renew the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship program instead.
Lawmakers in the financial committee left out money for the stewardship program, which let DNR borrow funds to buy land for conservation projects.
The dredging project was created to support more than 100 farmers whose land floods each year due to river backup, wrote State Rep. Ron Tusler, a Republican from Harrison, Wisconsin. Tusler criticized the governor’s early morning veto.
Instead, the project will be funded with a mix of state Waterfowl Stamp funding which was awarded by the Waterfowl Advisory Committee in April, DNR officials said. The project will also use part of the agency’s wildlife management program’s segregated conservation funds created for development projects, officials added.
