At this year’s Yahara Pride Farms’ conference, one message came out loud and clear: farmers are leading the way in conservation, but their stories too often go untold.
Columbia County joins the Yahara Watershed Improvement Network
The Yahara Watershed cuts through the middle of Dane County and drains an area of nearly 536 square miles, but few realize the northernmost tip of the watershed lies in Columbia County. This small parcel of 28 square miles is now part of the community-wide partnership effort to reduce phosphorus runoff to the lakes. Columbia County has begun a two-year service agreement with Yahara WINS and is taking impressive steps forward in the name of healthy lakes.
2016 phosphorus reduction efforts
This summer, Clean Lakes Alliance staff and our talented board and committee members are working closely with partners to get phosphorus reduction efforts off the ground. Here’s a quick summary of where we are and what’s going on:
2015 City of Fitchburg Water Quality Update
A message from Steve Arnold, the Mayor of Fitchburg, for the 2015 State of the Lakes Annual Report:

Steve Arnold, Mayor of Fitchburg
Fitchburg is at the headwaters of seven different creek systems. While we don’t have any Yahara lakes within our boundaries, we’re been learning and teaching our residents that our stormwater runoff has a direct and lasting impact on the Yahara lakes. We recognize that the chain of lakes is one of our region’s most valuable natural assets, and that we have a responsibility to keep our water clean, for ourselves and our downstream neighbors.