More from Watertown on Dredging Koshkonong...

From the Watertown Daily Times...
KOSHKONONG EXPERIMENT
One of Wisconsin's largest lakes lies just a bit more than a half hour south of Watertown. The lake, of course, is Lake Koshkonong, the vast majority of which is located within Jefferson County, but the dam which actually makes the lake is located at Newville in Rock County. A small portion of the lake is also located in Dane County.

Lake Koshkonong is the eighth largest lake in Wisconsin with 10,460 acres of surface water. It's essentially a very wide spot in the Rock River backed up by the dam at Newville.

Lake Koshkonong is mentioned often in early Jefferson County history reports. This was where many Indian tribes were located when white men first came to this fertile area. It's also where many Indian wars were fought, including the famous Blackhawk War.

Over the years it has been a popular spot for fishing, in both summer and winter, boating, water skiing, snowmobiling and almost any other kind of outdoor activity.

It's also been in the news many times because of the flooding that can easily occur along its banks when there's an extremely wet season. In fact, we have no doubt all the rains we've been receiving in recent days are swelling the river to flood stage or very near to it.

In recent years many homes along Blackhawk Island Road, which leads down to the mouth of Lake Koshkonong, have been purchased by the federal government in an effort to get people away from this area of perpetual flooding.

The huge lake has also been in the news over the years as property owners on the lake seek ways to improve water quality, depth of the lake to improve outdoor activities and to help improve the shoreline.

We can remember some years back when the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources proposed dredging much of the lake to give it greater depth and improve the quality of the lake all around. That plan went nowhere at the time, but now a version of that concept seems to be getting another look.

Janesville Gazette Reporter Frank Schultz (no relation to this writer) wrote an interesting article on the concept in recent days and with the lake so close to Watertown, we thought a little information on the proposed project might be worthwhile here.

The plan under consideration would be to dredge the lake so it's 2 feet deeper than it presently is. That would take out about 34 million cubic yards of sediment. That sediment would be used to form a number of islands in the lake. The islands could be high enough to be visible all year, or be just high enough that they would be submerged during high water events.

The islands would help protect the shoreline from erosion and high winds that can sweep across that huge, open expanse.

As one might imagine, the kicker here is the cost. The DNR has estimated it will cost $5 to $10 a yard to dredge and form the islands. That comes out to $170 million to $340 million.

That cost is enough to stop any idea in its tracks, especially when DNR representatives told over 200 people at a meeting last week that the cost would be the responsibility of the property owners along the lakefront. But, they assured people there are potential grants from foundations, endowments, environmental organizations and government agencies that could dramatically reduce the cost to the property owners.

One of the biggest concerns other than the price is how long the sediment would remain on the shorelines and the islands. Erosion can be minimized by strategically locating the island, residents were told.

Dredging of this lake certainly would enhance the quality of life for the entire area. It's just a matter of figuring out how to pay for it and how to make the project last for decades. It would certainly be another boost for tourism in our area and that's always a good thing.

The DNR is suggesting a small experimental project be done as early as this fall. That could give some insight as to how it would work and what the results would look like. The DNR is pushing for the experimental project and that leads us to believe it will be a reality.

As for the massive project, it can't move ahead without a vote of the members of the Rock-Koshkonong Lake District. Another public meeting will be scheduled later this year and that would be followed by a lake management plan which could be completed by Christmas.

A vote by the lake district could not come before next year.

Based on all this information, we believe it has a reasonable chance of succeeding.

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