Town of Washington
Water Resources Task Force
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History
In 2005, it was the vision of newly elected Town Chairman Jim Spring to ask the town supervisors’ consent to develop a group of town-people, who would bring to the town issues and concerns pertaining to the natural water resources in Town of Washington. The Town Board unanimously acknowledged the importance of good ground and surface water qualities to the economic viability and vitality of Town of Washington. Eighty-seven percent of tax dollar receipts in the town come from waterfront property and all drinking water is drawn from private wells.
The Town Board asked Sandra S. (Sandy) Gillum to develop the task force. Gillum accepted the town proposal and proceeded to identify every water body in the town and moved to gain volunteer representation from each of them and also from several businesses in the town that are closely tied economically to the natural water resources of lakes, streams, and groundwater.
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Profile
There are 21 lakes, one river, and numerous wetlands in Town of Washington. The Task Force was comprised of volunteer representatives for every stream and lake. Four local businesses came on-board with representatives.
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Lakes Represented: Anvil, Bass, Carpenter, Deerskin, Dollar, Finger, Harmony, Lower Nine Mile, Rade, Spirit, Tambling, Tinsel, Upper Nine Mile, and Eagle River chained lakes (Duck, Catfish, Cranberry, Eagle, Lynx, Otter, Scattering Rice, and Voyageur)
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Streams, Rivers, and Springs Included: Black Jack, Deerskin, Eagle, Little Deerskin, Ninemile, Spring Meadow, and Sucker
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Businesses Represented: Alleman’s Wayside, Boat ‘n Sport, Eagle Waters Resort, and Eagle River Guides Association
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Priorities
The initial agenda for the Task Force was to:
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Understand the breath and depth of the tie between the town’s economic vitality, viability and real estate values, versus the qualities of surface and ground waters, and on the other hand, the services of the Town; and
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Learn the watershed from Big Sand Lake, Haymeadow Flowage, Lone Stone Lake, Three Lakes chain, Wisconsin River, Mud Creek, plus the seven dams that control this reservoir system: Long Lake, Haymeadow, Upper Nine Mile, Lower Nine Mile, Burnt Rollway, Sevenmile, and Otter Rapids dams; and
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Find out what entities control the dams; and
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Become educated about potential threats to water quality (i.e. pollution/contamination, non-native invasive species); and
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Rank the risk for every water body in the Town; and
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Learn what baseline data is needed to track water quality, aquatic plants, etc.; and
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Learn about the State Grant program available for accomplishing baseline studies; and
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Learn how to write grants, meet grant criteria, to identify appropriate contractors, meet grant cycle deadlines, etc.; and
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Learn how to have a public bid to elicit contractor bids for desired projects; and
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Learn how to rank contractor options; and
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Learn who can be grant partners with Town of Washington and how to approach them with quality information to gain Letters of Support and financial commitments; and
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Identify all governmental units that encompass shoreline on waterways where Town of Washington also encompasses shoreline; and
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Identify the parties to whom the baseline information should be delivered, who can use it to seek management options, if required; and
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Understand the public’s recreational dynamics with other lakes and streams in the area that are not in Town of Washington; and
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Learn what management options are available for aquatic invasive species and what the results have been from the various management options.
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Partnerships - governmental
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Town chairman Spring, town supervisor Dave Alleman, and Gillum attending meetings of towns of Lincoln and Cloverland and Eagle River city council to gain goal-oriented partnerships and financial commitments for accomplishing base line aquatic plant surveys and management plans for the lower Eagle River lakes system, because each of these governmental units encompass land along this waterway. Each town and the city agreed to become partners.
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Alleman, Gillum, and Kay Scharpf met with Jeff Herrett and Chantelle Delay from U.S.F.S. Eagle River Ranger Station. In exchange for CB /CW training, the Forest Service agreed to survey each of their boat landings for AIS in summer 2006 and to cooperate in the program with appropriate signage at landings.
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Partnerships - recreational
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Gillum asked the Task Force to consider the town’s partnering with lake associations, lake districts, and other governmental units where their lakes are recreationally associated with lakes situated in Town of Washington. Butternut, Franklin, Kentuck, and Sevenmile lakes met those criteria. So, in 2006 the Task Force contacted Butternut-Franklin Lakes Association, the Kentuck Lake District, and the Sevenmile Lake Association, and the towns of Phelps and Hiles. Butternut-Franklin and Kentuck lakes stepped forward as goal and financial partners. Gillum and Schapf and representatives from Sevenmile Lake met with the Town Board of Hiles to gain their support. Towns of Phelps and Hiles provided letters of support. Sevenmile Lake Association was not able to generate financial support at that time, nor could the association elicit support from Hiles or Oneida County.
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Eagle River Area Unified Lakes Committee and Commission
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Because the criteria for state grants requires that grantees be either qualified lake associations or units of local government and that neither criteria was comprehensively met by the current construct, town chairman Spring initiated bringing together the Town of Washington Water Resources Task Force lake representatives, elected officials from the four governmental bodies surrounding the lower Eagle River lakes system, plus additional lake representatives living in Cloverland, Lincoln, and the City of Eagle River and melding this group in late 2006 into the Eagle River Area Unified Lakes Committee (ERAULC). From this group, leadership has emerged that is moving water quality protective measures forward.
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Grants awarded
Copies of completed aquatic plant surveys and management plans are available at the Olson Memorial Library, upon request as CD from Vilas County Conservationist, and from individual lake associations.
Original copies of all projects are held on file by Town of Washington
Click HERE to review Final Report for Clean Boats / Clean Waters Educational Project
- 2005 grants awarded to do:
- In 2006, aquatic plant surveys for Duck, Catfish, Cranberry, Eagle, Lynx, Otter, Scattering Rice, Voyageur, and Watersmeet lakes and Eagle River from Burnt Rollway Dam to Cranberry Lake, and from Yellow Birch Lake to Watersmeet Lake, and from Watersmeet Lake to Otter Rapids Dam. Plus, Wisconsin River from Watersmeet Lake to County G and Mud Creek bay.
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In 2006, Aquatic plant management plans for Duck, Catfish, Cranberry, Eagle, Lynx, Otter, Scattering Rice, Voyageur, Watersmeet, and Yellow Birch Lake.
- In 2006, to sponsor & coordinate a Clean Boats / Clean Waters workshop for residents of Town of Washington, plus residents of Butternut, Franklin, Sevenmile, and Kentuck lakes, including providing educational kits to all attendees and to plan and staff an educational outreach session and field trip for the Environmental Science class at Northland Pines High School.
- 2006 grants awarded to do:
- In 2007, aquatic plant surveys for Deerskin, Lower Nine Mile, Tambling, and Upper Nine Mile lakes.
- In 2007, aquatic plant management plans for Anvil, Deerskin, Lower Nine Mile, Tambling, and Upper Nine Mile lakes. Plus Silver Lake in City of Eagle River.
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WI-DNR Supplied Additional Support
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In 2005: APSs of Boot, Silver, and Scattering Rice lakes
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In 2006: APSs of Boot Lake and Big Sand and Long lakes (Phelps), plus provided protocol and points for APS of Deerskin River (field work by Dr. Rollie Alger)
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In 2007: Set up Point Intercept locations for APS of Sevenmile Lake (DNR does not have APS of this lake on the 2007 schedule, due to lack of staff.)
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Lake monitoring activities
The following lakes in the Town of Washington and partner lakes have Clean Boat/Clean Waters trained individuals that volunteer time monitoring boat landings and stretches of shoreline:
- Anvil
- Bass
- Carpenter
- Catfish
- Eagle
- Finger
- Franklin
- Kentuck
- Lower Nine Mile
- Otter
- Rade
- Scattering Rice
- Sevenmile
- Spirit
- Tinsel
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Meeting notices
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