Tag: turbidity

Our Second Love, Our Lakes

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On this Labor Day I hope most are getting the opportunity to get out onto their lakes to enjoy a wonderful day in the upper midwest. As the boating season begins to wind down and the leaves begin their annual color change we can reflect back and the summer that to many may seem like it never was. The Great Outdoors to many others has proven to be an excellent distraction to a world in apparent disarray. For some of us who have spent more time than usual out on the water it may have provided greater insight into the value of our surface waters; this includes public waters of the state, rivers for example for kayaking/canoeing, etc.

What have we seen? Have we accumulated any new knowledge that has helped us become better stewards of the waters? Have we observed something new that has led us back to our home office to investigate the question on the internet? Have we shared information or questions with others? If our waters our something we truly cherish it takes more than a passive interest to preserve it.

The diversity of lake users is greater today than it has ever been. This includes users of varying backgrounds with variable agendas. These agendas may not always be be in unison with the best interests to the waters we inhabit, but we can all hope to play in this sandbox in harmony. If our waters spoil well then the party is over. Our water resources do not have a hospital they can got to when they feel sick or are becoming undone. We are sickness but also the cure.

This is a good time to sit back, enjoy the weather and reflect back on the things we can do better on with our lakes. What have turned a blind eye to for too long. Fall brings time to contemplate these things and plan for the winter and upcoming year. Start taking stock in the little things and track lake progress.

Up Next, we’ll take a look at the process of video recording your shoreline.

Quick Primer on Grants

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As noted a few posts ago, grant season is among us. It is very common that lake districts, improvement associations, and individual property owners seek out funding assistance for a wide variety of projects that can help improve conditions within lakes, wetlands, and streams for water quality, navigation, flood control, and aesthetic appeal among other things. The one thing that grants however do not consistently funding is dredging projects.

Why is that someone might ask? The simple answer, although it never appears to be a simple answer from the regulatory end, is that dredging is often categorized as a maintenance item. While it can certainly be debated on both sides the fact stands in most cases dredging does not have a taxpayer based funding mechanism.

In a sense it is understandable that a process that is so heavily driven by healthy watershed practices be addressed at that level; and furthermore the necessity to appropriately and proactively consider the implications of sediment delivery mechanisms before addressing in lake issues. Grants can be obtained for this. It becomes a simple discussion of addressing a symptom and not the cause. Dredging is a snapshot in time, in which that snapshot begins to deteriorate the moment the contractor leaves the site. The rate of deterioration is further dictated by the practices in place on the ground to combat runoff and sedimentation. Most agencies would rather see money put towards these practices to address the issue at the point of attack rather than once the material is in the water.

So facilitating the cost of dredging is a tricky situation. Good consultation can often help in mitigating or controlling costs, but it often estimated that the cost to remove sediment from the water is nearly 6X the cost it is to attack it on land. Pair this with the fact that so many view dredging as some “big fix” when it is really only a temporary reprieve. There is money available for better shoreline practices, buffer establishment, runoff control practices, and land preservation/protection. The State of WI sees this as the better immediate value and they are not alone in this perspective.

Welcome to Wisconsin Lakes.net

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Happy Independence Day! Welcome to this website-Blog!

I’ve always loved the idea of “home”. Wisconsin is where I grew up and I am happy to be back home working on our lakes and watercourses. I have worked at offices located in several other states along the way, with the opportunity to work on projects in adjacent states. It has been a great adventure with a tremendous amount of experience to be gained in a variety of environments and among some extremely talented minds, but I always knew this was a domain I desired to re-inhabit.

I guess I should caveat things by saying that I didn’t just appear overnight, I have been working on projects, primarily in southern part of the state for the last 10 years, but mostly from a distance, slowly integrating into the local policies and protocols. Make no bones about it, Wisconsin is different and operates differently than many other states. This isn’t exactly a bad thing, but integral in understanding the flow of things when you are at the plate.

Wisconsin is such a very water and natural resources rich state that it can become part of your very being. It can become imprinted on you at a young age and continues to follow you wherever you may go. The state’s abundance of clear, and relatively clean lakes and streams overshadow the fact that these areas need management and upkeep as much as any water body. For every clear and clean lake there is an equal number of lakes that are overloaded with nutrients, typically driven by a delivery mechanism yet to be controlled or fully understood.

As I have explored the canvas of lakes management and furthermore the natural resources components that accompany these services over the past 20 years of my career I have realized just how dependent people are on use of the internet to begin their journey. While this is totally reasonable, there is no “paint by numbers” in this business. No replacement for experience or a trained eye coupled with applied education. Lakes are not houses, they are a living breathing ecosystem that is constantly evolving to achieve a balance, more particularly in the last few centuries this would include the heavy influence of man.

So welcome aboard! Perhaps there is something that you can learn from my projects or the experience of others. I hope to have others contribute over time their expertise and input. To the maximum extent possible I will try to keep this website- blog less opinionated and more factual but at times it becomes difficult to hold the line when you are passionate about things, particularly decisions driven by others who are forced to look at things as black and white or place a financial line in the sand. So let us soldier ahead to discover our lakes, rivers, and everything else in between.

-BV