Clean Lakes Alliance applauds Dane County lake project
Clean Lakes Alliance is excited to share news about Dane County’s continued focus on improving water quality. In early July, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, in conjunction with the Dane County Land and Water Resources Department, unveiled new lake technology.
The vacuum will remove algal scum, filamentous algae, floating aquatic plants, and trash from the water. The lake technology pulls water and algae scum at the surface, which discharge into filter bags. The debris-free water flows back into the lake and the algae and decaying plants will remain trapped inside.
This new tool will give beaches in our area the opportunity to be cleaner than they have been in the past. With high temperatures and more people using the lakes during COVID-19, this new technology will help keep beaches safe and healthy.
Long-time Clean Lakes Alliance committee participant and honorary research scientist for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Limnology, Richard Lathrop, said this technology is a great boost to cleaner shorelines and beaches in the Yahara lakes.
“We’ve noticed for years that noxious floating material, particularly toxic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) scums, can temporarily accumulate at beaches. It can also become trapped behind piers or floating shoreline structures such as booms.”
Richard Lathrop
University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Limnology
Lathrop added, “If deemed practical and feasible, an expanded lake clean up program could be implemented even with strategically deployed floating booms to trap and remove floating debris. I am very excited about this possibility!”
Courtesy, Robert Bertera
Dane County project update
Suck the Muck
The County’s project at Token Creek is nearly complete! 20,000 tons of material was removed to improve water flow. Watch the video.
Yahara River Dredging
The sediment removal project is underway in an area of the Yahara River between the Beltline Highway and Upper Mud Lake. Watch the video.
Pheasant Branch Restoration
The County continues to work on restoring piece of land purchased last fall. Hear from Dane County Executive Joe Parisi at our upcoming August Yahara Lakes 101 on what the County has done, and what it will do next.
Find your beach forecast
Clean Lakes Alliance reports all beach conditions and closings through its LakeForecast App. Free to download in both the Apple and Android app stores, LakeForecast takes information from volunteer monitors at more than 70 points around all five lakes. The twice-weekly readings provide lake users with water clarity, temperature, and other visual observations.
Read about some of the projects Clean Lakes Alliance has been working on recently.
Fun and educational stops (see information below)