Transcript

Event transcript
And I and I will be using this. 00:00:02
Public comments are in person, which you are here in person. 00:00:04
Public commenters, she'll address the chair. So when you talk, speak to me. It's not me, it's the position of chair is what you're 00:00:08
really talking to. 00:00:12
And then what you do? 00:00:18
If you want to read, you can. You may hand the committee your remarks in writing if you want. If you can't read them all, you may, 00:00:20
and we can put it in the record if you want. 00:00:25
The total. 00:00:32
Time that the county board has allowed is 30 minutes for public comment. So when I begin the public comment, it'll be 30 minutes 00:00:33
on the clock. 00:00:38
And then when that time runs out, we'll let the last person finish. 00:00:44
And then that portion of the meeting will be completed. 00:00:48
During public comment, when you you do not engage the supervisors, the only time a supervisor would engage is the supervisor can 00:00:51
ask a clarification question. I asked the supervisors to direct it to me, the chair and then we will. We will then ask like if you 00:00:57
say something and the supervisors don't understand, the supervisors on the committee can ask for clarification. However, the 00:01:03
supervisors do not engage. 00:01:09
The the person that is talking. 00:01:14
Public comments will be respectful and courteous. 00:01:18
And there will be no personal attacks. We're debating a subject here, so the subject of this is what it should be talked about. 00:01:22
OK. 00:01:31
So 843, so say about 9:00. 00:01:32
15, approximately starting about quarter tell we'll start. We'll stop public comment at at 9:15. 00:01:36
But before I do that, I have to do the approval of the minutes from the committee. 00:01:44
OK. 00:01:48
Do I have a motion to approve the minutes from the last meeting? John, we have a first, we have a second and a second. Any 00:01:49
discussion on the minutes from the last meeting? 00:01:53
Hearing none, Those in favor signify by saying aye. Those not in favor, OK. The minutes pass unanimously. 00:01:58
OK. 00:02:07
First person up. 00:02:08
No, you're gonna do #5 when #5 No. And I'm sorry. No, no. Yeah, it's there. I'm sorry. My fault. 00:02:09
So first person up is Greg Frederick. 00:02:15
Frederick and then John, you'll be, you'll be timing these. Yeah. 00:02:18
OK. John will be our parliamentarian for time. And so if you want to give him a little warning, John, maybe a few seconds to wrap 00:02:21
up. 00:02:25
And then? 00:02:28
And then? 00:02:30
2 minutes and then you move on. And like I said, if you don't say everything you can give us in writing, if you want that, that's 00:02:31
fine. OK, go ahead. 00:02:34
Alright, good morning. I'm here on behalf of the Rock River Flood Group. 00:02:38
My name is Greg Frederick. I'm a lifelong resident of Lebanon, landowner and. 00:02:42
And the Rock River Basin, and for the past four years, Lebanon Town chairman. I'm on here behalf of the Rock River Group. 00:02:46
Reason for this group is better management of the downstream levels of the Rock River. 00:02:52
In the tone Lebanon alone, there are 249 individual. 00:02:56
Land parcels affecting. 00:03:00
3000 acres and a total of 6000 acres being affected in normal floodplain. 00:03:02
The tone of Lebanon is ongoing costs due to. 00:03:07
Road closures, Rd. maintenance, culvert replacement Hiring of contractors to remove trees stuck in and under the High View Bridge. 00:03:10
Dodge County is Hwy. MMM bridge highway O bridges that are being undermined that. 00:03:18
Tony Harness Figure Park is affected by not being able to rent out. 00:03:23
Campsites, eroding boardwalks and canoe and paddle board docks. 00:03:26
Union Pacific Railroad bridge is also being eroded. 00:03:30
The goal we have here is spirit. 00:03:33
Water distribution among all individuals on this watershed. This group has dodged Jefferson County. 00:03:36
Village of Hughesford, Township of Houston, Lebanon, Asheville, Axonia, Houston Dam operator. 00:03:42
Wisconsin DNR, US Fish and Wildlife watercolor dam operator Tom Rice and State. 00:03:48
Representative Barbara Dietrich all at meetings at one point or another. 00:03:54
The flood crisis even has been featured on Fox 6 News. 00:03:58
There has been thousands of private dollars donated, thousands of Township dollars. How many money for? 00:04:01
The USGS gauge. 00:04:07
Big part of the project should be left up to the should not be left up to the public sector to private sector, excuse me, to fund 00:04:09
this. This is a state and county issue. 00:04:14
At no point ever has there been mentioned to drain lakes in Mississippi. We are looking for a more dreamlined way to move the 00:04:19
water downstream. 00:04:24
We have 2 1/2 years of data from this river gauge. We have engineers from UW Madison lined up. We now need the funds to put the 00:04:28
data to work for all benefit residents living on. 00:04:33
OK. 00:04:39
Hey, thank you, Mr. Frederick Joe. 00:04:42
Sharp My name is Joe Sharp and I like Sinnissippi resident town of Hustisford. Recently the Lakes in the City association, several 00:04:45
other area residents learned of the Rock River Flood Group mitigation plan. 00:04:50
Is our understanding that there will be a vote today regarding the Rock River flood groups forthcoming request for the Dodge 00:04:56
County to pay legal and consulting? 00:05:00
Incurred by the flood group. 00:05:04
In addition to the speakers presenting today, we have submitted a more comprehensive document. 00:05:06
Like to add to the public record which also includes. 00:05:10
Their drawdown requests that they did last fall without our knowledge is our collective belief that their proposed plan and the 00:05:13
request for the county funding to support this plan does not represent the lake. 00:05:19
The interest of Lake Sinnissippi area residents. Nor should private legal fees be paid by the coding. 00:05:24
Projects that are directly detrimental to Lake, Ms. the Horicon Marsh and County residents that reside in 6 plus municipalities 00:05:29
within Dodge County. 00:05:34
The flood mitigation plan seeks to keep much lower than average water levels. 00:05:38
In lakes in a sippy so that it can essentially serve as a retention pot. 00:05:42
Not only should the lake not be considered a retention pond, the Hustisford Dam, nor the Horacon dams, our flood control dams and 00:05:46
were never intended as such. 00:05:50
The current plan is biased and limited. It focuses primarily on downstream flood reduction and provides a little analysis on 00:05:54
upstream. 00:05:58
Ecological and financial consequences and impact. 00:06:02
Drawing from ecological, economic and scientific evidence. 00:06:05
As well as collective voices of affected communities, there are significant negative impacts and current proposal and viable 00:06:09
alternative. 00:06:13
Flood mitigation strategies grounded improving watershed practices exist and should be considered. 00:06:18
Rock River flood groups proposed plan benefits one group to the detriment of another and the request accounting funding should not 00:06:24
be denied and we request you review these documents in your decision making. 00:06:30
Should be to that. 00:06:36
Should be sorry, little nervous. 00:06:38
Yes, it's beautiful. My name is Tanya Lemke. I'm here to discuss issues affecting lakes in a city with the floodplain. 00:06:41
I. 00:06:49
Lake Sinnissippi resident and I own a business on Lake Santa Sippy that. 00:06:50
That needs that lake. 00:06:54
The Wisconsin Public trust doctrine is a legal principal stating that the state holds navigable waters in trust for the benefit of 00:06:55
the public. 00:06:59
Ensuring access for activities like navigation, recreation, and enjoyment of scenic beauty. This doctrine rooted in the Northwest 00:07:03
Ordinance of 1787 and the Wisconsin State Constitution. 00:07:09
Emphasizes that these waters are not privately owned, but rather belong to the public as a whole. 00:07:14
This includes the right to navigate, fish, hunt, swim, and enjoy the scenic beauty of the water. This doctrine requires the state 00:07:19
to protect the quality and habitat of these waters and ensures that public access and recreational opportunities are maintained. 00:07:26
The state has a duty to protect these public trust resources and to prevent their degradation or misuse. 00:07:33
In fact. 00:07:38
Wisconsin public trust doctrine supersedes local government actions that conflict with public trust rights. 00:07:39
The Wisconsin State Supreme Court has overturned DNR decisions that they feel have violated the rights protected other Wisconsin 00:07:45
public trust doctrine. One such case, Rock Koshkin on Lake District versus the DNR, involved Lake Koshkin on a lake similar to 00:07:51
Sinnissippi, and that is the shallow impoundment of the Rock River. 00:07:56
This case is summarized in the documents you were given. It is our position that the action suggested by the Rock River Flood 00:08:01
Group would be directly violating the rights of residents on Sinnissippi, rights which should be protected and considered under 00:08:06
the Wisconsin public trust doctrine. 00:08:10
These proposed actions will be detrimental to habitat, wildlife, the ecology of the lake, the lake's landscape, local economies, 00:08:15
and the property values of all lake residents. 00:08:19
Which directly impacts the tax basis of local municipalities surrounding the lake. That translates to impact on school district 00:08:24
funding as well. 00:08:28
Lisa Peterson. 00:08:33
Oh, wait. I mean, I'm sorry. Wait. I'm sorry, Nathan. I'm sorry, Nathan. I I apologize. Nathan. Nathan London. 00:08:40
Landon, I'm sorry. 00:08:45
My name is Nate London, I am a Lakes, Mississippi resident in the town of Houston, Perts. 00:08:47
Lake, Ms. is filling with sediment. 00:08:51
There's been talk about lowering levels to reduce flooding, but when a lake is filling with sediment, that strategy is 00:08:53
fundamentally flawed. 00:08:56
Lowering water levels in a sediment filled lake addresses a symptom, not the root cause. 00:09:00
The real problem isn't too much water, it's too little space for the water to go. 00:09:05
Sedimentation reduces a lake storage capacity overtime, meaning it holds less water during storms or seasonal run. 00:09:09
Lowering water levels may appear to createspace, but it does not address the real issue, the shrinking volume caused by sediment 00:09:16
accumulation. 00:09:20
It's like digging A shallow hole and trying to capture a whole rainstorm. There's just nowhere for the water to go. 00:09:24
Moreover, frequent drawdowns can harm the lake's ecology and accelerate shoreline erosion. 00:09:30
Exposed shorelines are more vulnerable, vulnerable to wind and wave action, which breaks down banks and sends even more sediment 00:09:35
into the lake. 00:09:39
This becomes a vicious cycle. More sediment, less volume, more flooding. 00:09:43
True flood mitigation and sentiment impacted lakes must focus on sediment management. This means implementing upstream erosion 00:09:48
controls, restoring vegetation buffers. 00:09:54
And in some cases, dredging to restore lost death. 00:09:59
There are long term strategies that increase water holding capacity. 00:10:02
And improve resilience, not short term fixes that match the problem. 00:10:06
Repeatedly lowering water levels can make things worse. It can accelerate erosion along the shoreline, which adds even more 00:10:11
sediment into the system. The result? A shallower lake with even less storage capacity and even higher flood risk during storms 00:10:15
downstream. 00:10:20
The only lasting solution is to address sedimentation itself. 00:10:25
That means reducing upstream erosion, restoring wetlands and possibly dredging areas where sediment buildup is severe. 00:10:29
These strategies protect both the lake health and the communities that depend on it. Let's focus on long term science based 00:10:35
solutions that treat the cause, not the symptoms. 00:10:39
I urge the County Board not to fund projects that are detrimental to the majority for the benefit of the few, especially for 00:10:44
plans. 00:10:47
Lisa, go ahead. Lisa. Good morning. My name is Lisa Peterson. I'm a real estate attorney and a 20 year resident lakes in 00:10:54
Mississippi. 00:10:58
As you've already heard from Tanya, the state of Wisconsin holds the bed of all lakes and trust for the benefit of the public. 00:11:01
Well, it's the state's duty to ensure that the lakes remain open to the public. 00:11:06
It is the county's responsibility to make sure that all of its citizens are equally represented when it comes to issues of this 00:11:10
nature. 00:11:14
I'm here to register in opposition of the funding requested by the Rock River Flood Group, and I hope the county takes into 00:11:17
consideration that the Rock River Flood Group is comprised of a few land owners. 00:11:21
Who have, as I understand it, not taking any means on their own to protect their adjacent river properties. 00:11:26
Their proposal will not stop the flooding and it will not make their land buildable. 00:11:32
Meanwhile, the residents of over 600 homes on the lake have gone above and beyond their part in maintaining their shoreline at 00:11:36
their own expense. 00:11:39
Which has been devastatingly eroded by low lake lovers levels. 00:11:43
Lowering the lake will only further endanger not only our shorelines but our ecosystems and the reasons most of us moved out here, 00:11:47
which was the peace and solitude of the lake. 00:11:51
Furthermore, it will serve to lower the property values in our county, which will also have a devastating impact on the county and 00:11:55
the county's tax base. 00:11:59
I'm urging you not to use our tax dollars for the benefit of a few land owners and to the detriment of over 600 homes and families 00:12:02
on the lake. 00:12:07
These land owners should be required to demonstrate that they have taken steps to shore up their shoreline rather than continually 00:12:11
seeking taxpayer money to protect their private land. 00:12:15
Furthermore, if the county is going to spend any county money, it should be on dredging like the protection of all, not 00:12:19
appropriating 10s of thousands of dollars for the benefit of a few. 00:12:24
Again, I respectfully urge you to assist the DNR in maintaining the lake for the benefit of the public under Wisconsin's public 00:12:28
choice doctrine, as well as protecting the rights of the majority of your voting citizens who stand before you today in great 00:12:34
numbers opposing the use of our taxpayer dollars to benefit a few land owners for the Dutchman of the greater population. 00:12:40
Bruce. Bruce Wadman, please. 00:12:50
Good morning. 00:12:55
My name is Bruce Wadden and I am a Lake Santa Sippy resident in the town of Eustisford. 00:12:56
According to Dodge County records, there are 740 properties within the Lake Sanitity Improvement District. 00:13:01
These properties have a total assessed value of $141,150,300. 00:13:08
Lowering lake Ms. in the summer would dramatically reduce the value of these lakefront properties. 00:13:15
When water levels drop, homeowners are left with mud flats. 00:13:21
Weed filled shallows and unusable docks. 00:13:25
The Wisconsin Realtors Association notes that homes on impaired lakes can lose 10 to 30% of their value. 00:13:29
That's a devastating loss for families around the town of Eustisford. 00:13:37
Hubbard, Juno or Con. 00:13:41
Oak Grove and within the village of Eustisford. 00:13:44
For many, this is their their home is their primary investment. 00:13:47
These losses ripple out the tax to affect tax revenues in school district funding. 00:13:52
Using the $140 million plus figure. 00:13:58
A 15% reduction equates to a 21,172,000. 00:14:01
$545 loss in property values. 00:14:07
An enormous blow for the local tax rolls. 00:14:11
These aren't theoretical numbers. 00:14:14
When a modest 2 inch drawdown occurred in Lake Hoskin. 00:14:16
It led to a significant reduction in home values. 00:14:20
In a letter to the DNR, the Lake Koskinen Lake District notes annual property tax revenue losses. 00:14:24
Between 116,948 dollars. 00:14:30
And $550,318. 00:14:34
Due to reduced water levels. 00:14:38
15 Well these deals, while this deals with tax impacts, it reflects broader economic harm to the Lakeside business district. 00:14:41
I request that the county deny funding. 00:14:50
For a project that is clearly detrimental to Lake Cinemas. 00:14:53
Thank you. Yes, thank you, Bruce. 00:14:57
Phil, Bill, please. 00:15:00
Bill. 00:15:05
Retired president of the College Rift Systems and I live on Lake, Ms. 00:15:08
Health and vitality of leaks in Mississippi effectively impacts local businesses and tourism. 00:15:12
Even a conservative 20% reduction in business could cost hundreds of thousands dollars annually. 00:15:17
Play Kashkoman. 00:15:22
Again, Officer, Cautionary tale. 00:15:23
The water levels dropped. Local businesses report 50 to 20% decline in summer revenues. 00:15:25
Two businesses located on Lake Ms. rely heavily on the lake for their success, just as local residents rely on those businesses 00:15:31
for services. 00:15:35
High school Marine located north of the lake. Ms. where the river beats the lake is located on already shallow section of that 00:15:40
lake. 00:15:43
And it's filling with cinnamon. 00:15:47
During times of low water, this business is virtually inaccessible at water. 00:15:49
Local residents and those in the surrounding communities rely on Oxford. 00:15:53
Service, maintenance and cold storage. 00:15:57
Furthermore, Oxford Marine also has multiple service purchase agreements with the state of Wisconsin, the USDA, the federal 00:16:00
government, and the DNR. 00:16:04
Please seem to be to be Lake Sinnissippi Lake Pub. 00:16:08
I'm looking on the east shore. 00:16:11
Mississippi relies on lake access 12 months of the year. 00:16:13
Summer months, the pub offers boat docks for patrons and allows the public access to the lake via their private pool at launch. 00:16:17
Hub is also on the ATV and state snowmobile trail systems. 00:16:24
But they could scroll into the pub allows access to the frozen lake via the private. 00:16:28
The private pool furthermore. 00:16:33
Automobile. Motorbike. 00:16:36
Ice racing has long been a standing tradition in tracking local and international. 00:16:37
Yes, international. 00:16:43
Visitors, for that reason, expect. 00:16:45
Bring an influx of outside dollars into the local economy. 00:16:47
Or sleep levels would make action. 00:16:51
These businesses rely on links in the budget area. Residents rely on these businesses. 00:16:56
Urge you not to fund this project for the benefit of you. 00:17:00
Mark. 00:17:05
Hey, Mark. 00:17:08
Right, Mark, my name is Mark Hartman. I'm a resident on the lake and I want to talk to some additional economic impact. 00:17:10
Both the village of Hustisford and the city of Horicon can be accessed by the Rock River system at Sinnissippi Lake. 00:17:17
And all, all the downtown businesses aren't directly on the waterfront. They're a short walk away. And people use that that system 00:17:24
all the time to access those businesses. 00:17:28
Some of those activities that people access Venetian night. 00:17:36
Activities at the Heathersford Community Hall. There's the 4th of July fireworks. Huge phase. 00:17:40
The wine walk and uses for all those activities are accessed by our accessible. 00:17:46
By the waterfront. 00:17:50
Nieder Park in Hustisford, the Lake Sinnissippi Association raised funds and wrote and were successful in being granted funds for. 00:17:52
Additional improvements, including a kayak access. 00:18:01
And that launches in a very shallow part of the lake. If the level drops, that public boat launch might not even be usable. 00:18:05
And then the river, A lot of people use the river itself to to go back and forth between Horacon and Sinnissippi. 00:18:14
You go up there on a Sunday afternoon and it's a regular pontoon parade. 00:18:21
And then let's talk about Horacon Marsh itself. Horican Marsh is a crown jewel of Wisconsin. 00:18:25
It's the largest freshwater. 00:18:32
Body of water in the United States and I was even shocked to find out that over 500,000 people a year come to visit the marsh. 00:18:34
For for things like bird watching, kayaking, hiking. 00:18:41
Water following. There's public boat tours. 00:18:45
The list goes on and on, and it's estimated by the Fish and Wildlife Service that $15 million annually. 00:18:48
Is spent on wetland ecotourism. 00:18:55
I'm asking you please do not fund this selfish and I'll conceit plan. 00:19:00
Thanks. Is that Mark? 00:19:08
You know, microphone keeps cutting out, keep talking and staying closer to the microphone. 00:19:12
My name is Richard Cruel. I'm a retired Circuit Court judge. 00:19:19
And been on the lake since 1988. 00:19:23
Water levels play a critical role in shaping shoreline dynamics. 00:19:26
And influencing erosion processes. 00:19:31
When water levels fall significantly, whether due to drought. 00:19:34
DAM operations. 00:19:38
Groundwater depletion. 00:19:40
Climate change or other human intervention? 00:19:42
The physical and ecological characteristics. 00:19:46
Of the shorelines can change dramatically. 00:19:50
These changes can lead to increased erosion. 00:19:53
Habitat degradation. 00:19:57
And economic losses. 00:20:00
Lake suit Mississippi has. 00:20:02
24.5. 00:20:04
Miles of developed. 00:20:07
Shoreline this last winter. 00:20:08
The shoreline had extensive damage. 00:20:11
And if. 00:20:14
The Shoreline. 00:20:16
Have been reduced. 00:20:17
As they ask for. 00:20:19
The damage could have been and probably was. 00:20:20
Would be significantly greater. 00:20:25
If just 5% of the shoreline. 00:20:28
He is damaged. 00:20:31
About 6400. 00:20:33
And 48 feet. 00:20:35
It would require restoration. 00:20:38
And the residents and municipalities. 00:20:40
Would face a significant financial burden. 00:20:43
Stabilizing shoreline. 00:20:47
Costs 250 to 400 a lineal foot. 00:20:50
If you translate that. 00:20:54
It's 1.6 million on the low end. 00:20:56
2.6 million. 00:21:00
On the high end. 00:21:02
And these figures don't even include. 00:21:04
Sea wall repair or ecological? 00:21:07
Restoration. 00:21:10
The funds asked for in this matter. 00:21:12
Simply do not. 00:21:15
Meet the criteria. 00:21:17
Of a public purpose. Times up. OK change. 00:21:19
My name is Shane Kemmer, I'm a lifelong Lake, Ms. resident in the town of Hustisford. 00:21:29
Contrary to the assumption that lower water levels reduce erosion by exposing more land. 00:21:34
They can exacerbate erosion. As water levels drop, previously submerged sediment becomes exposed and vulnerable to wind, rainfall, 00:21:39
and freeze and thaw cycles, which weaken soil cohesion. 00:21:44
And make shorelines more susceptible to erosion. 00:21:49
Vegetation acts as a natural buffer against erosion by stabilizing soils with root systems and absorbing wave energy. 00:21:52
However, sudden or prolonged reductions in lake water levels can result in the die off of aquatic and semi aquatic plants. 00:21:59
The loss of vegetation weakened shoreline integrity and accelerates erosion. 00:22:06
Process. 00:22:10
Progress. 00:22:11
Shorelines along lakes and reservoirs are particularly vulnerable. Fluctuating water levels associated with dam operations or 00:22:12
climate vulnerability can create bathtubing. 00:22:17
Ring zones areas of exposed shoreline with little to no plant life, leaving the land bare and easily erodible. 00:22:22
With compounding sediment filling in. 00:22:29
In reservoirs, drawdowns can cause shoreline slumping, especially in areas with loosely consolidated sediments. 00:22:32
The Sun Geomorphic changes can threaten infrastructure such as docks, roads and buildings near the water's edge. 00:22:38
Moreover, the lack of water flow in some areas can lead to sentiment. 00:22:45
Deposits and unusual locations. 00:22:49
Altering the natural sediment balance and increasing localized erosion elsewhere. 00:22:51
This unbalanced sediment transport cycle can have long term effects on the stability and shape of the shoreline. 00:22:56
Low water levels have significant and unprecedented effects on shoreline erosion that can have long lasting consequences for the 00:23:01
ecosystem. 00:23:05
And human infrastructure. So I urge the county not to fund a project that is so detrimental to many. 00:23:09
15. 00:23:15
Rob is Rob. The next one up was says Rob Montgomery is here, Rob. 00:23:16
Rob, you're up. 00:23:22
Hello, my name is Rob Montgomery. I've been working with a couple property owners and now the. 00:23:30
Downstream of Hustisford looking at this flooding issue. I've talked to you guys a couple times. 00:23:36
In the last few years I have a one pager here. 00:23:42
That I'll give to John. 00:23:45
The clerk? The county clerk, I guess. 00:23:47
OK, fine. Thank you. 00:23:50
So in quick summary. 00:23:53
What we're proposing and what we're working on now. 00:23:56
Funded by the towns and wanting to continue in the 2026 is a study. It is not a proposal for any particular action. 00:23:59
The work that we did last year that has created the concern amongst the folks on Sinnissippi. 00:24:07
Was an experiment to collect data on water level drop and water level rise. It was conducted within the operating orders. 00:24:13
Think. Truth be told, it would have been good if we had communicated more with the folks on Cena City. 00:24:21
However, however, I want to emphasize that this was a data collection exercise. It was not a proposal. 00:24:30
We don't have the authority. 00:24:36
To change water levels. 00:24:38
That's a DNR matter and it's a big extensive process to change water levels for any regulated water body, at any rate, what our 00:24:40
proposal amounts to. 00:24:45
Is continued study. We've recruited help from the University of Wisconsin Madison. 00:24:49
And the idea is to look at. 00:24:54
What? 00:24:57
The there has been, I think it's obvious from the information that we've supplied, there has been increasing flooding both in 00:24:59
duration and in the amount of water. 00:25:03
OK, why? 00:25:08
Well, there's been increasing rainfall, but maybe there's other watershed processes and what's going on in the future. 00:25:10
To look at what's going. 00:25:16
15 OK. 00:25:18
So we're we're going to look at what's going on and then possibly what we can do about it in a conceptual way and report back. 00:25:19
For further action to be developed if it makes sense. 00:25:27
Thank you. 00:25:31
Hey, Tim. 00:25:32
Good morning. My name is Tim Cargill. 00:25:43
I'm a liaison for the Town of Lebanon Rock River Working Group. 00:25:47
Which is comprised of town of Lebanon, Town of Exonia. 00:25:51
Town of Ashland. Town of Hustisford. 00:25:55
Village of Hustisford. 00:25:58
UW Madison faculty and staff. 00:26:00
US Fish and Wildlife have participated in the Wisconsin DNR. 00:26:03
I am asking that you consider funding to continue the research as it relates to the Rock River watershed. 00:26:08
And the increased flooding covering nearly 6000 acres of Dodge County. 00:26:13
Land affecting. 00:26:17
Hundreds and hundreds of landowner style stream. 00:26:19
Flooding water quality. 00:26:22
Ecosystem impact is all getting worse for everyone in the watershed. 00:26:25
Including. 00:26:29
The lakes in Mississippi. Fox. 00:26:30
This problem will not go away. 00:26:32
And we hope to continue our effort to work together towards improvements that work for everyone. 00:26:34
It sounds like sinnissippi has silt problems, which I'm hearing about. 00:26:38
And we have flooding problems. I actually would. 00:26:43
Listen to all this. 00:26:46
Proposed that we would work together possibly. 00:26:48
To help solve these problems in the watershed. 00:26:51
Thank you. 00:26:54
Jim Rush. 00:26:57
Sakshi, I'm sorry. 00:26:59
Talk about the impacts of this last winter's drawdown or. 00:27:03
The water levels in the lake. 00:27:09
So I've been coming to the lake for over 50 years. 00:27:15
And here you can see a photo of my shoreline. 00:27:19
What we experienced was that with the lake being about a foot lower than it normally is even. 00:27:22
Even more than that, like 15 inches over the winter. 00:27:27
With the lower water you get lower ice. 00:27:30
And the ice was able to undermine our shorelines. 00:27:33
And heave up our rocks. And not only did it destroy the shoreline, it also destroyed the silt fabric that was protecting. 00:27:37
From erosion. 00:27:44
And then over. 00:27:47
This one I get. 00:27:49
On the week of January 12th, you can see that the rocks had continued to push up on the shore. 00:27:52
And rose up about 5 feet along the above the top of our shoreline. 00:27:58
And this was starting to attack. 00:28:04
Our electrical systems. 00:28:06
That were. 00:28:08
There and I had to immediately go in with my pickaxe and if I had not been a resident. 00:28:11
This would have destroyed all of those. 00:28:15
The power data. 00:28:18
And lighting fixtures that I had at the shoreline. So I immediately went in with my pickaxe and started attacking it and I noticed 00:28:20
there were a lot of other neighbors of ours. 00:28:24
That had similar. 00:28:28
Damage from the low water level over the winter. 00:28:30
Which made the ice lower. 00:28:33
Heating up on the shoreline. 00:28:36
And creating lots of property destruction. 00:28:38
Many of our neighbors had similar issues. 00:28:41
And so then we rebuilt the shoreline ourselves. 00:28:43
Spent thousands and thousands of dollars ourselves, not a contractor, just on materials alone. 00:28:46
And we hope we never have to have low water. 00:28:55
Creating low ice heaving on the shorelines again. 00:28:58
Because it was absolutely a disaster and we asked you not to fund this particular time strategy. 00:29:02
Jenny, Jenny. 00:29:08
Said Jenny. 00:29:11
Hello. 00:29:15
I am Doctor Jennifer Blossom Wildlife at the a veterinarian at the Wildlife and Need Center, and I majored in wildlife ecology. I 00:29:16
am a Lake Ms. resident. 00:29:20
Low water level, and I'm going to speak on low water levels on lake fisheries and wildlife. 00:29:25
Low water levels have a detrimental impact on lake fisheries and wildlife. Low water levels reduce the amount of available habitat 00:29:29
for fish. 00:29:33
Especially in near shore areas where many species fawn spawn and feed. 00:29:37
When these shallow areas zones dry out, critical breeding grounds are lost, leading to decreased reproduction and survival rates. 00:29:42
In addition, lower water levels lead to higher water temperatures and reduced. 00:29:47
Dissolved oxygen, changes in water levels and temperature dramatically alter fish behavior, distribution, and overall 00:29:52
productivity. 00:29:56
Low water isolates fish in shallow pools, increasing their vulnerability to predators and disease. 00:30:00
These changes stress fish populations, especially cold water sports species such as walleye and northern Pike. 00:30:05
Prolonged exposure to these stress conditions can cause fish kills and long term declines in population health. 00:30:12
Additionally, drawdowns disrupt overwintering for turtles, frogs, and aquatic insects, impacting predator prey relationships and 00:30:18
the ecosystem balance as a whole. 00:30:23
The LSALSID and the Rock River Rescue have paid 10s of thousands of dollars in the last few years alone to stock the lake and 00:30:28
river with a variety of fish. 00:30:32
Concerted efforts are ongoing to restore and improve the fisheries of Lake Ms. and its rivers. 00:30:37
Any program to lower the lake levels undermines these efforts. 00:30:43
With the lowered lake levels, fishing opportunities also decrease, which directly affect local tourism and the local economy. 00:30:47
Fisheries depend on stable water levels to. 00:30:54
To sustain their delicate ecological balance. Addressing this requires collaboration, water water management strategies to protect 00:30:57
the fish and lake wildlife habitats. I urge Dodge County not to fund projects. 00:31:03
That are detrimental to the Fish and Wildlife of lakes Mississippi. Thank you. 00:31:10
Go in. 00:31:14
Joanne, you will be the last speaker today. 00:31:18
You will be the last speaker today. 00:31:21
Hi, my name is Joanne Matthews and I've lived on Mexico, Mississippi for nine years. I'm a master naturalist and teach classes at 00:31:24
the Horcon Marsh. 00:31:28
Water is a critical component of ecosystems, influencing both the structure and function of natural habitat. 00:31:33
In recent decades, low level water levels have increasingly posed a threat to aquatic and terrestrial environments. 00:31:40
The consequences of these reduced water levels are far reaching, affecting biodiversity, ecological processes and the 00:31:46
sustainability of natural systems. 00:31:51
Low water levels directly affect aquatic habitats by reducing available space and altering water temperature and chemistry. 00:31:57
As water volumes decrease, water temperatures often rise, reducing oxygen levels and creating creating stressful or lethal 00:32:04
conditions in many aquatic species. 00:32:10
Fish populations, particularly those sensitive to temperature changes. 00:32:16
Or with specific spawning requirements may decline or shift geographically. 00:32:20
Wetlands are especially vulnerable and as we as they depend on stable water levels. 00:32:24
To maintain their unique Quora and fauna. 00:32:30
When water levels fall, wetland degrees may shrink or dry out completely, leading to the loss of habitat. 00:32:33
Changes in hydrology can disrupt breeding cycles and reduce the availability of food sources, threatening the survival of many 00:32:39
species. 00:32:43
Riparian areas depend on water inundation for nutrient cycling and vegetation growth. Reduce water flow can lead to the 00:32:48
approachment of invasive species and a decline in native plant communities. 00:32:55
Persistent low water levels may lead to ecosystem collapse. 00:33:01
Biodiversity loss. 00:33:06
Reduced water quality and altered ecosystem services can have cascading effects on human communities that depend on these 00:33:07
resources. 00:33:12
I respectfully urge the county not to fund a project that is so detrimental to so many. 00:33:17
Thank you. 00:33:23
That can. That concludes the public comment. 00:33:27
The committee will be moving on to item number 5. That's a point of a temporary chair. 00:33:30
Robert's Rules of Orders requires the chair, which I am the chair of this committee, to relinquish the position of chair if he is 00:33:35
going to advocate on an issue. 00:33:38
Today, if this issue is debated, I think it is my duty to the people I serve to argue for position regarding the agenda item 00:33:43
number six about the Rock River Flood Group's request for funding. 00:33:48
I'm appointing a temporary chair. 00:33:54
Normally. 00:33:56
According to Roberts Rules of Order, I would appoint the vice chair. 00:33:57
Who is? But the vice chair has taken a position in the last meeting, so I'm going to the next person line, which is a secretary, 00:34:01
John Krause. 00:34:05
So I'm gonna point John Krause to be the chair of the next item. 00:34:09
And what will happen is unless there is objection or if there's a nomination. So if the committee does not have an objection. 00:34:12
John will become the chair, effective now. 00:34:19
Hearing none. 00:34:22
John. 00:34:23
OK. Thank you. 00:34:25
All right, we'll move on to item number six, the Rock River Flood Group request for funding. 00:34:26
I just want to remind everyone in the crowd that this is a committee discussion only, so please no outside comments from the 00:34:31
floor. I really appreciate your respect and that request in advance. 00:34:36
This is a carryover from last month's meeting. It was requested that we we we tabled it as a committee to get. 00:34:42
Kim Kim's opinion Our court council. 00:34:48
On this request, so I'll turn it over to Kim and she can. 00:34:51
Phyllis sent on what she thinks that Coney's position is. 00:34:55
So good morning. Thank you. 00:34:58
I'm not sure if this mic is on so can everyone hear great. 00:35:00
So I understand at the last meeting there was some discussion, the May meeting there was discussion about. 00:35:06
My opinion with regard to the request for funding. 00:35:12
And you asked me to come back to explain my opinion. 00:35:15
And I will do that today. 00:35:18
I don't know how much information was shared at the last meeting, so I apologize if this is repetitive, but I'm going to. 00:35:21
Go through the the comments that I provided to the chair. 00:35:27
For the last meeting. 00:35:31
And, umm. 00:35:32
The comments as well as my analysis of the request. 00:35:34
So first of all, I just want to point out that any request for county funding really does need to meet the public purpose 00:35:37
doctrine. And the public purpose doctrine is embedded in the Wisconsin Constitution. And what that public purpose doctrine says is 00:35:42
that. 00:35:46
Request for county funding. 00:35:52
Or funding by county resources. 00:35:54
Needs to. 00:35:57
Benefit the public as a whole. 00:35:58
And directly and tangibly benefit the public as a whole. 00:36:01
It can't be you're giving funds for. 00:36:06
Generally a public. 00:36:10
Purpose that benefits a few. 00:36:12
Directly or indirectly? 00:36:16
So that is the general rule regarding the public purpose doctrine. 00:36:18
I reviewed the Montgomery Associates request. I'm sure you all have it available to you. I think it was in the meeting packet. 00:36:22
I've gone through that request for funding. 00:36:29
And I just want to highlight a couple of things that. 00:36:32
Brought me to my conclusion, which is that there is no public purpose for the funding of the request. 00:36:35
First of all, the the request itself specifically says that it is a request from Montgomery Montgomery Associates. 00:36:42
Working on behalf of Steve Folkman and Tim Cargo. 00:36:51
Both residents of the town of Lebanon. 00:36:55
Today I learned and this was indirectly and I don't have any. 00:36:58
Any documentation to support this but? 00:37:02
It I learned today that perhaps this was a Town of Lebanon request. 00:37:05
Again, I reviewed this Montgomery Associates letter. 00:37:09
And I don't see anywhere in here that this is a Town of Lebanon request. They may be the Town of Lebanon representatives may be a 00:37:12
part of this Rock River working group. 00:37:16
But it is not a direct request from the town of Lebanon. 00:37:21
Again, I went through the the. 00:37:24
Montgomery Associates. May 15th letter to John Bohannick. 00:37:28
And there are a number of areas that talk about. 00:37:32
Gate operation Effectiveness of gate operations mitigating spring peak discharge of the river. 00:37:35
All of the things that. 00:37:43
Typically are not something that the Land and Water Conservation committee. 00:37:45
Or the Land and Water Conservation Department engage in. 00:37:49
As you probably all know, Chapter 92 does govern. 00:37:53
The operations of the Land and Water Conservation Committee, and that is this committee. That's just the name that's given to it 00:37:56
in statute. 00:38:00
As well as the operations and functions of the department. 00:38:03
There are a number of things in that chapter. 00:38:07
That talk about and I printed out a copy of the statute itself. There are a number of things that talk about what the function of 00:38:10
functions of the committee. 00:38:14
And the functions of the department are. 00:38:19
And for lack of a better. 00:38:21
I guess I should say, in the interest of time, I'm just going to summarize in general what the functions of the committee and the 00:38:25
departments are. 00:38:28
One of the things I want to point out to you is that. 00:38:31
Land and water conservation. 00:38:35
Is governed by the state agency, which is dat cap. 00:38:37
Department of Vague Trade and Consumer Protection. 00:38:41
NASA DNR. 00:38:44
So Dadcap has the oversight for the functions of the committee as well as the functions of the department. 00:38:45
I want to point out again that. 00:38:52
92 really does govern all of the things that. 00:38:55
Need to be covered by land and water conservation. 00:38:59
So the committee, in summary fashion, as well as the department, may encourage research and educational and informational and 00:39:02
public service programs. 00:39:07
No public service programs. 00:39:11
May provide for preventative and control measures and works of improvement. 00:39:13
May cooperate with an agency, any agency, governmental or otherwise, in carrying out conservation efforts. 00:39:17
May make available agricultural. 00:39:24
Or engineering machinery and equipment and other supplies to assist in those conservation efforts with regard to soil resources. 00:39:26
And for the benefit of the public. 00:39:34
Also prevention and control of soil erosion. 00:39:37
Flood prevention. 00:39:41
And for conservation and utilization of water resources or for the prevention of non poor. 00:39:42
Source water pollution. 00:39:48
All of which duties are to be carried out under the auspices of an approved land and water conservation. 00:39:50
Land and water resource management plan. 00:39:55
I am aware the department has and. 00:39:58
Recently received a contract with Datcap, the five year contract. 00:40:01
That land and water resource management plan also has to be submitted and approved. 00:40:06
By Dabcap and that was done. 00:40:11
One of the things that the statute does not encompass or entail. 00:40:14
Are things like, and I shouldn't say one of the things, many of the things that are pointed out in the Montgomery associate 00:40:18
letter? 00:40:21
Things like the word damned does not appear anywhere in chapter 92. 00:40:25
The word. 00:40:30
Department of Natural Resources. The words of Department of Natural Resources does not appear anywhere in that chapter. 00:40:32
Wetland does not appear anywhere in that chapter. 00:40:38
From what I understand, and I'm going to go back to the letter. 00:40:41
Because I think it's important to point out a few things as though the request for funding. 00:40:45
Entails. 00:40:49
Again. 00:40:50
Is from Montgomery Associates and there is a table in the letter about future activities. 00:40:52
Coordinate and direct working group meetings. There is a 2025 cost and a 2026 cost. 00:40:58
Advise and direct UW Madison staff on climatology issues. 00:41:05
There's a cost, again, for both 25 and 26. 00:41:09
Advise Review technical work and direct UW Madison staff on reservoir operation. 00:41:12
Hydraulic issues. 00:41:18
Cost for both 25 and 26. 00:41:20
Support consideration of restored watershed flood storage. 00:41:23
Both costs for 25 and 26. 00:41:28
And then support new coordinated gate operation. 00:41:31
Operating order. 00:41:34
The total cost for 25 is $10,200. The total cost for 26 is 14. 00:41:37
$1300. 00:41:43
Of those lists. 00:41:47
Of those lists of activities or of that list of activities? 00:41:48
I can tell you, based on what my research tells me and what the statute says and the public purpose doctrine, the only area that I 00:41:52
can see that Land and Water Conservation Department and the committee could be involved in would be anything with respect to 00:41:58
supporting consideration of restored watershed flood storage. 00:42:03
Nothing else in that list of activities really applies. 00:42:10
And um. 00:42:13
Is something that I can point to in chapter 92 that would be. 00:42:15
Of support for funding the activities. 00:42:19
Now I want to make a couple of other comments to the committee. 00:42:22
Regarding other requests for funding that the county has had. 00:42:25
And I think this will be important for. 00:42:29
The supervisors on this committee, as well As for. 00:42:32
Non supervisors that have had some experience with regard to requesting county funding. 00:42:35
There is a rule aside from the public purpose doctrine, but there is a rule with regard to. 00:42:40
What? The county board and thus the committees. 00:42:47
Are able to authorize in terms of funding. 00:42:50
And what it's called the administrative home rule. 00:42:52
And one of the things about the administrative home rule and this has been. 00:42:55
A long standing debate and analysis about that rule. 00:42:59
But for county to fund things? 00:43:02
It has to be. 00:43:04
The administrative home rule says that counties. 00:43:06
Have the authority to fund things. 00:43:09
Fund activities and fund projects and fund other things. 00:43:12
With regard to as long as it's explicitly provided in the statute. 00:43:17
Or necessarily implied. 00:43:21
Now some of you may remember I. 00:43:24
And if you weren't on the Human Services and Health Board? 00:43:26
The Human Services and Health Board does get requests for grant funding. 00:43:29
From umm. 00:43:33
Nonprofit organizations on an annual basis and that that funding request goes through a public hearing. 00:43:34
In front of the board. 00:43:42
And one of the things that needs to be done in terms of funding these nonprofit organizations. 00:43:44
Is a review of the statute and particularly it's 5953 of the statute. 00:43:50
If that. 00:43:55
Type of activity that is being proposed to be funded is not specifically called out as an activity that the county can do. 00:43:56
Or a service that the county can provide within that section of the statute it is not funded. 00:44:04
And I will tell you that on each time a a nonprofit comes before the Human Services and Health Board and then ultimately does get 00:44:10
in the county budget. 00:44:14
If it's approved. 00:44:19
And if it can meet some criteria in the statute. 00:44:21
There is an agreement. 00:44:24
And there's measurable outcomes for the use of that funding. 00:44:26
And if it is not approved because it is not specifically a program or service that can be provided by the county department. 00:44:29
Then it is not approved. 00:44:36
And I'm going to bring this topic up in regard to the ARPA funding that all of the supervisors and I know. 00:44:38
Mr. Foley is aware of. 00:44:44
This analysis regarding the public purpose doctrine was also undertaken with regard to the ARPA funding. 00:44:46
You remember that? The county? 00:44:52
Received about $17 million of ARPA funding and in the first round of or the first tranche of that funding that was given to the 00:44:53
county. 00:44:57
The county put together an ARPA committee. 00:45:02
And that ARPA committee analyzed over 76 proposals to fund their projects. 00:45:04
And ultimately did fund several. 00:45:11
Towns, villages and cities with regard to ARPA funding and some of the things that they wanted those town cities and villages and 00:45:14
nonprofits, or I should say there was a. 00:45:19
The uh. 00:45:25
I'm going to get it wrong. And so I'm looking at Bill, but it's a it was a late improvement. 00:45:26
Breaks pay like improvement yes Rakes Bay lake improvement so did fund other than county. 00:45:32
I'm sorry, other than municipal? 00:45:38
Projects. 00:45:41
So that ARPA committee went through the analysis and determined. 00:45:42
Whether or not there was a public purpose to be achieved by the request for funding and then did ultimately grant various funds, 00:45:46
ARPA funds to the city's villages and the improvement. 00:45:52
District umm. 00:45:58
I will tell you, Rakes Bay, I'm going to point out, was one of the analysis that had to be done with regard to whether or not the 00:46:00
public purpose doctrine applied because it was for purposes of installing certain devices in the lake. 00:46:06
Particularly Rakes. 00:46:13
And as I looked at that project or as that, as I looked at that request. 00:46:15
As somebody did mention during public comment. 00:46:21
The waters of the state of Wisconsin fall into the public trust doctrine, and that doctrine says that. 00:46:24
The the waters need to be held in trust for the benefit of all the public. 00:46:32
It was on that basis that the Riggs Bay project was funded because it did meet the public purpose doctrine. It was for the good of 00:46:36
all of the county and all of those that wanted to access Beaver Dam Lake. 00:46:42
So that project was funded. 00:46:48
Again, I'm going to go back to my original opinion which I gave to you back in fall of last year and I gave. 00:46:50
Not in person, but at the May meeting. I do not think that the funding request here. 00:46:58
As it stands and as I review. 00:47:03
The request of the Montgomery and Associates. 00:47:06
Dated May 15th. 00:47:10
Qualifies under the public purpose doctrine. 00:47:14
I'm not going to tell Montgomery and associates, and I know Godfrey and Khan is working for them and they've given a legal opinion 00:47:17
which is contrary to what I'm telling you today. 00:47:22
I will remind you that Godfrey and Khan is working with Montgomery, Montgomery and associates and of course. 00:47:26
Their legal opinion is going to be something that would support. 00:47:32
The proposal for funding? 00:47:36
But I am giving you the opinion today and I would just reiterate that I don't think. 00:47:38
Except for the very limited request for support with regard to our consideration with regard to. 00:47:43
The funding for the watershed. This really is a watershed issue. 00:47:51
So the Land and Water Conservation Department, to the extent that it has information or resources available to it. 00:47:56
To assist with regard to watershed study, that's certainly appropriate, but everything else in the requested request for funding. 00:48:05
I don't think the county is authorized to support. 00:48:13
So my opinion hasn't changed since last year. My opinion hasn't changed since. 00:48:17
The last meeting. 00:48:22
And again, I'm not going to. 00:48:24
Stand in front of the committee to. 00:48:27
Perhaps tell the Rock River Group how to reframe their request for funding. 00:48:30
But as it stands right now, I don't think that it can be supported by the county. 00:48:35
OK. Thank you, Kim, if it's right with the committee? 00:48:41
Can we let? I was gonna ask John what his position was and then we could open it all up for discussion. Or would you rather 00:48:43
address individually? I would rather address this 'cause mine relates to that. Go ahead. Supervisor Dir. 00:48:47
So I'm supervisor. 00:48:54
My name is Lisa Durr and I've listened to all of your comments and I agree with them. 00:48:57
Assuming that there is a proposed drawdown with the lake, I agree with everything you've said. 00:49:02
One of the things you've also said and that I recognize is that management of lakes, rivers. 00:49:08
Is of great public interest. That's exactly what one of you said. It's a great public interest to hundreds of people. 00:49:13
Not just two land owners. Hundreds of people living in the lake as a residence, as a retirement, as an agricultural owner. 00:49:20
Flooding effects them all. 00:49:30
At the prior meeting, our Corp Council did give this similar opinion. 00:49:32
And she specifically said. 00:49:37
That she could not support this funding or that you know? 00:49:39
She could not support that it met the purpose of the statute because the money was going to a private source, private funding, and 00:49:44
those were her words exactly. 00:49:49
And I wrote them down. 00:49:53
She's also referring to a memo on the 15th. 00:49:55
And I believe she has a copy of this but I'm not sure because I've been on vacation for a long time and I just came back and was 00:49:58
completely stunned by all this. 00:50:02
But the opinion by an environmental attorney. 00:50:06
By the way, I'm an attorney too. We don't actually do whatever our clients want. OK, that's an unethical person. 00:50:10
All right, you give the client an opinion based on the law and whether they like it or not. That's. 00:50:18
Our job ethically. 00:50:26
So the opinion. 00:50:28
On June 24th. 00:50:30
To Greg Frederick, who's the chair of the town of Lebanon. 00:50:33
And that's from Mr. William Nelson, who's an environmental lawyer. 00:50:38
He addresses the very first sentence to. 00:50:42
Dear Greg. 00:50:46
Mr. Steve Folkman, liaison for the Town of Lebanon regarding the Rock River Group, inquired blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 00:50:47
And short story. 00:50:58
He cites Statute 92. 00:51:00
Understand that environmental regulation isn't just the statute. The statute is extraordinarily broad. 00:51:03
And all of the lot of the details are in the administrative code. That's where the. 00:51:10
Stuff hits the fan is in the administrative code, the nitty gritty. 00:51:16
So you don't necessarily expect to see the actual language in the statute? 00:51:20
And and Attorney Nass. 00:51:25
Recognizes that. 00:51:28
Chapter 92 specifically states. 00:51:30
That the Land and Conservation Committee can fund projects dealing with flooding. 00:51:33
And I understand if you guys folks agree. 00:51:39
That management of. 00:51:43
Water and flooding. 00:51:45
Is not a public interest that's going to affect any request you folks make. 00:51:47
So is it a public interest? Is flooding a public interest? I think that. 00:51:52
Clearly is. 00:51:57
I wanted to address some of the comments. 00:52:01
What one speaker said is accurate and I've been involved. 00:52:05
In this for a couple of years. 00:52:10
And that speaker said there is no proposed drawdown plan. 00:52:13
And I've spoke with people who are. 00:52:18
Sort of scientific researchers, I said. 00:52:22
Would there ever be a 1 foot drawdown in Sinnissippi? I've been on this committee for over 10 years and before that I was on a 00:52:25
Beaver Dam lake management. 00:52:29
Drawdown committee for 10 years. 00:52:33
And I was shocked that somebody would actually propose A1 foot drawdown. It would be devastating. Yuval, devastated. You've all 00:52:36
testified to that and spoken to that. 00:52:40
And the answer's no. 00:52:44
There is no proposed drawdown. 00:52:45
And a lot of people are here, frankly, because of some misinformation. I don't know where it came from. I wish somebody had called 00:52:48
me. 00:52:52
Because I didn't even understand. There was an uproar. I was on vacation. 00:52:55
So. 00:52:59
One of the things. 00:53:00
After recognizing that clearly the management of lakes and rivers is of public interest. 00:53:01
I want to refer to what another speaker said. 00:53:07
And that is? 00:53:10
That we should not do this short term plan and jump into a lake and draw it down and damage property and erosion and all of those 00:53:12
things. I agree with that. 00:53:16
That speaker said. 00:53:20
That we should be working on a quote. 00:53:22
Long term science based solution. 00:53:25
That's what you folks said. 00:53:29
The reason that there is an engineering firm and environmental engineering firm is to work on a long term science based solution. 00:53:31
That's the purpose of this. I know some of you are shaking your heads, but I. 00:53:43
Telling you I've been involved for three years. I'm not. Just didn't come in over the weekend. 00:53:46
And. 00:53:51
That solution, our county has already provided this group with money. I think it's what, 30,000 John over five years. 00:53:52
How much point of order we have not given to that we gave to the specific item we gave to an item that has been. 00:54:01
We provided a $30,000. 00:54:10
To whomever. 00:54:13
2 which is 5000 a year. 00:54:15
And that was to provide gauges for the river. 00:54:18
Because people can sit on the bridge and go, oh, that's that doesn't look like a lot of flooding or that does. But the truth is a 00:54:21
science based. 00:54:25
Focus would have a Watergate. 00:54:29
That says after this rain event. 00:54:32
The water was this high or the water was that high? 00:54:35
I agree with you. 00:54:38
That you should not make abrupt decisions and that a science based alternative should be done. Now there is some data from these 00:54:40
stages which the counties already funded. 00:54:45
I hate to cut you off, so I'm just saying I'll just end that. 00:54:51
I do. 00:54:54
Favor $26,000 to fund the science based project. Thank you. Thank you. OK. 00:54:56
Just a point of clarification, I was not at the last meeting. 00:55:03
So I did not say, OK, I didn't say anything at the last meeting. And the other point of clarification is? 00:55:06
This letter specifically says, and I'm referring to the Montgomery Associates letter May 15th. 00:55:13
We have been working for Steve Folkman and Tim Cargill. 00:55:18
And I I'm not here to diminish anything with regard to the importance and the detriment of the flooding downstream. I'm not saying 00:55:22
that. 00:55:27
My specific request from this committee was to give you a legal opinion with regard to whether or not the county. 00:55:31
Not my personal money. This is the county money. Whether the county can fund the efforts that are being requested by the 00:55:39
Montgomery Associates letter. 00:55:43
So with that I will not say anything more. I've given you my opinion. 00:55:47
If you have questions, you certainly can ask me questions. 00:55:51
But I will just leave it at that. I'm not interested in engaging in debate about. 00:55:54
Legal stances and such. Thank you, attorney Nas, is there any other questions for attorney asks or anyone got anything else? 00:55:59
So immediate concerns the applicants so as a private individuals that's. 00:56:05
That's your primary reason for rejecting. 00:56:10
And I believe it's a bigger issue than just a. 00:56:13
Couple of farms. 00:56:16
Or the town or the county. So this is a major. 00:56:18
Flood control problem for the future. 00:56:21
And it shouldn't be just for a small segment of the county. 00:56:24
So if it was requested by the town of Lebanon or a group of towns. 00:56:28
Would that be more applicable in this case? 00:56:33
Again, I I don't want to frame the issue or frame the request. 00:56:40
Future requests. 00:56:44
And I'm not going to speculate on if it came from. 00:56:46
I understand what you're you're getting at. 00:56:49
A different request would require a different analysis, so I I I reserve the right to do that analysis if a different request 00:56:53
comes in. 00:56:56
So the current request is for analysis and not a dam control order change. 00:57:01
So this is a hydraulic study. 00:57:06
In review of the east half of the county. 00:57:08
Watershed. 00:57:12
So as we go forward with the weather pattern changes. 00:57:16
We're seeing last July we had tremendous amount of water for. 00:57:20
10 day period. 00:57:25
That was part of the weekly of the shorelines, I'm sure. 00:57:27
That affected the winter problems. 00:57:31
So this is a. 00:57:34
Major concern, I think, for the east half of the county. 00:57:36
To address this in the future. 00:57:39
So should this be a? 00:57:41
The state driven project or Dad cap driven project? 00:57:43
Perhaps I just will point out again, the committee should look at the the. 00:57:48
Request that's in front of it and I just want to point out a couple of things and I'm sorry that I'm reiterating. 00:57:53
But it talks about advising and directing UW Madison staff and climatology issues. 00:57:59
Really not within the purview of. 00:58:04
The county. 00:58:07
Advise Review technical work and direct UW Madison staff on reservoir operation hydraulic issues. 00:58:09
I don't see the basis for the county to be advising UW Madison on anything. 00:58:17
Support consideration of restored watershed flood storage. I'm not sure what it means to support consideration of. 00:58:25
Support new coordinated gate operation operator. 00:58:35
Operating order. 00:58:39
Again, not within the purview of the county. 00:58:40
And Mr. Foley, I I will acknowledge, if there is a different request, the Committee subject to the Chairs. 00:58:44
You know, authority could. 00:58:51
Evaluate a different request and I would. 00:58:54
Take a look at it but. 00:58:56
As it's presented to you by this May 15th letter I. 00:58:58
I don't have any other opinion other than what I stated previously. 00:59:01
Thank you. 00:59:06
Any other questions for Attorney Nas? 00:59:08
OK, John, I want to, you know, you're the county conservationist. You're an expert. None of us here are of your knowledge. 00:59:13
What is your opinion on IT department wise? 00:59:21
No, nobody's an expert. 00:59:24
I lived in Dodge County in Houston area for 32 years. I've spent plenty of time on the lake. 00:59:27
I've seen. 00:59:31
Plenty of flooding going on downstream. 00:59:33
There's flooding going going on all throughout the state of Wisconsin. I've talked to my counterparts and other counties about 00:59:35
this issue. 00:59:39
And. 00:59:43
I do not believe we should be using tax dollars to. 00:59:45
Pay for something like this. 00:59:49
Because it's it's a private entity and you open yourself up to a can of worms for anybody and everybody else coming to the county 00:59:51
requesting funds as you can see on. 00:59:56
On another item later on in this agenda. 01:00:01
If the if the committee decided to do something. 01:00:06
That would direct my department to do something that is a completely different subject matter. 01:00:09
But I I do not. 01:00:16
Favor supporting this. 01:00:18
Funding at this time. 01:00:21
No applause please. I don't need that. Thank you. 01:00:23
Thank you. 01:00:26
Is there any other questions for John or attorney Nas? 01:00:27
I have a follow up on this specifically again. 01:00:32
The Corp council's request was said. 01:00:35
But he doesn't believe it's appropriate for funding to go to a private entity. 01:00:38
And again. 01:00:42
Council did not refer to this letter. 01:00:43
This letter is dated June 24th. 01:00:46
And it's a request by the town of Lebanon. 01:00:49
And that. 01:00:52
Happens all the time, money comes in. 01:00:54
And it goes through either the county, we have tons of pass through funds, we have millions of dollars going pass through funds 01:00:57
for various purposes. 01:01:01
And this would go through the town of Lebanon. 01:01:05
Hydraulic studies, by the way. That's where you get what one of you folks said. 01:01:10
Is science based solutions. 01:01:16
We can look up a few articles and I'm sure all of what you read and what you brought up is accurate based on what that study was. 01:01:21
But we aren't going to get information about flooding in Dodge County. 01:01:28
Unless we do the study with. 01:01:32
The engineering and environmental department of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. None of us here. 01:01:35
Are experts some scientific management of water? 01:01:41
And last chapter 92 specifically allows. 01:01:45
The county. 01:01:49
To develop programs to address flooding. 01:01:50
That is. 01:01:53
That's in the black and white statute and and understand that if you folks are having significant problems in flooding in 01:01:55
Sinnissippi. 01:01:59
By this logic. 01:02:03
You're not going to get help either. 01:02:06
The idea of the county is to get scientific basis information. 01:02:08
That's all we're doing. No one's doing an order, no one's doing a plan. 01:02:12
There will be no request for any plans. I will say if there were any request to follow up on this study. 01:02:17
I guarantee you every Lake District will be informed of that request so there is less misunderstanding. 01:02:24
About what the purpose is, right? Hey, OK. 01:02:31
I think we're gonna cut the conversation short on this right now. 01:02:33
Again, please know Christ from the audience. I would greatly appreciate that. 01:02:38
Is there any other discussion? 01:02:42
Supervisor Maham. 01:02:50
I have a question. 01:02:52
Is this funding for the town of Lebanon? 01:02:54
Or to the Rock River group. 01:02:57
It goes to the town of Lebanon. 01:02:59
That's where the funding is going to. 01:03:01
Well. 01:03:04
Kim, do you want to weigh in on that? 01:03:04
That's the request of the it's regarding the Rock River Working Group. 01:03:08
It's a request regarding the Rock River Working Group. 01:03:12
Yes, the town of Lebanon I I understand the town of Lebanon is a part of that working group. 01:03:15
But if I don't know what legal entity the Rock River Working Group is. 01:03:22
The town of Lebanon receives the funds. That's the request to the town of Lebanon that that is not what's stated in here. So. 01:03:27
And I I have the June 24th letter. 01:03:35
I got it this morning at about. 01:03:38
7:30 this morning. 01:03:40
And I I understand there were reasons. 01:03:43
I didn't provide this letter. I got it last night too so. 01:03:46
I would have clued you in, Kim so. 01:03:49
Yeah, it says the Rock River Working Group. 01:03:52
OK. Any other discussion? 01:03:56
I would I would move that we do not provide funding to the Rock River Group. 01:04:00
Based on. 01:04:08
Its request for funding to go to a private entity. 01:04:10
OK. Can you please repeat that motion? 01:04:14
Motion. 01:04:19
Yeah, I'm saying. 01:04:21
Assuming we are providing funds to a private entity. 01:04:24
I would move that the Rock River Coalition not be granted the funds. 01:04:28
That they are requesting right now, today 26,000. 01:04:34
It's the town of Lebanon, but I'm saying. 01:04:39
I'm hearing the court council say this is going to a private entity, so based on her saying that. 01:04:42
If it's going to a private entity. 01:04:49
We deny it. That's the motion. 01:04:51
If those funds are going to a private entity, I move we deny the funding. 01:04:54
That's my motion. 01:04:59
Is there a second? 01:05:01
I'll second it. 01:05:04
OK. We have a motion and a second. Is there any further discussion? 01:05:06
Again, this is a major issue for the county for the future. 01:05:11
In storm water control and Emergency Management will need to have future research on this. 01:05:14
To protect the different highways and the lake fronts and the. 01:05:20
The watersheds themselves. 01:05:23
So this is a bigger issue than I think even. 01:05:25
Guidelines here provided by Mr. Montgomery. 01:05:29
Touches on a lot of areas, but it's inadequate, I think, for the future of Dodge County. 01:05:32
We need as a. 01:05:37
LCD as a LWCC. 01:05:42
Find a way to get. 01:05:44
The state, the Corps of Engineers, somebody involved to help us analyze this. 01:05:46
And a different structure to go forward with to. 01:05:51
Give us some good answers, not just the study but implementation. 01:05:54
OK, any other discussion? One other problem that bothers me is that. 01:05:58
The dams, whether dam or a lot of other dams. 01:06:03
In the county. 01:06:08
Were never designed or intended for flood control. 01:06:10
So. 01:06:14
That makes it more difficult. 01:06:15
OK, Mr. Chairman. Yeah, I, I don't, I don't feel the motion's real clear. It sounds almost like lawyer talk to me. 01:06:21
And I I think it's either we're gonna. 01:06:27
Fund this or not fund it. Excuse me, Mr. Chairman, that is my motion, OK? And if you don't want to vote on it, you don't have to. 01:06:30
But I do not have to amend my motion and I'm not. We need to vote on my motion. 01:06:36
See you a or nay. 01:06:43
So I understand the motion is not to. 01:06:45
Authorize the funding. 01:06:48
Based on and I said this in the motion. 01:06:50
For the minutes. 01:06:53
Based on funding going to a private entity. 01:06:54
Understood. 01:06:57
OK, any other? Any other? 01:06:59
Any other discussion? 01:07:03
All right, so I'll call for a vote. I think I'm going to do a roll call vote. 01:07:05
So the motion and just want to make sure we're clear because this is very controversial is not to fund this because it's related 01:07:09
to a private. 01:07:12
Because the funds are going to a private entity, yes, OK. 01:07:16
All right. With that, if you're in favor of the motion signified by yes. If you're opposed of the motion. 01:07:20
Signify by no supervisor. 01:07:27
Aye, yes. 01:07:30
Mr. Weniger. 01:07:32
Supervisor Priesen, Yes. 01:07:34
Supervisor Johnson No, I don't think it's clear. 01:07:36
Supervisor Mahal. 01:07:40
Yes. 01:07:42
Mr. Foley, Yes. 01:07:43
Myself. Yes. Motion carried. 01:07:44
Now do we there could could there be another? Could there be no that that was a particular motion for a private crew. This the the 01:07:48
the ask is not for a private group, it's for funding. I think that should be discussed. I thought that was a lawyer training. 01:07:54
Jim, any any input on that? 01:08:01
So that, that is the, the assumption that you're, that there isn't guys, we can't hear the court council. 01:08:05
I think I would. I don't think it's right. 01:08:13
So there's nothing else before you this morning. 01:08:21
OK. 01:08:24
So no funding will be granted. Yeah, I I agree with that though. OK, thank you. 01:08:25
OK. 01:08:30
With that, I will turn the chair position back over to Chairman, Supervisor Johnson. 01:08:31
We will take a 2 minute recess so you people can leave and we'll begin the educator part of the meeting. 01:08:37
So the misconception was that they're gonna throw it on the lake. 01:08:51
He said that was clearly, that was the fear. 01:09:00
Yeah, but the boat. 01:09:06
Wasn't very sorry. Very solid #2 layers again. Now it's talking. OK, OK, yeah. 01:09:08
I agree with you, that wasn't really clear. 01:09:18
Good time. 01:09:21
Oh, it will be. 01:10:08
So see. 01:10:09
So I have to. 01:10:12
But you know, I did. But you know, I went on to study and asked if I lived in the on the shoreline and I said no. 01:10:50
More coming because I didn't live at the store. 01:11:00
I was jumped right off. 01:11:09
Inner study after I said I did not live on the lake. That was a very pretty. 01:11:11
Plug it in my computer. Yeah, I'm on. 01:11:17
Yeah, yeah. 01:11:24
Yeah. 01:11:26
My aunt OK. 01:13:04
There's some mistakes. You gotta be quiet. 01:13:05
OK, we're going to continue the meeting. 01:13:08
We are going to move to our next item. 01:13:10
So if you guys could either, it has to be quiet if you want to stay, you're certainly welcome to stay. 01:13:12
Otherwise, I'd ask you that you leave. 01:13:18
OK. 01:13:29
Come on up, extension, go ahead. We're resuming. We're back. We're back from our recess and we are resuming. We are looking for 01:13:30
item number 7, UW extension update. 01:13:34
I can't hear you, Mr. Chairman. 01:13:39
We're going to now do the UW extension update. We are in item number 7. 01:13:46
Yeah, we can. 01:13:54
Brief. 01:13:59
All right. Good morning, everyone. I know you had a busy morning so far. I'm going to keep the extension piece short. I did send 01:14:05
out. 01:14:10
If you're not aware about the food wise funding that it may be eliminated. 01:14:15
So that is, it's going to like the Senate and the House. This is part of that big, beautiful bill. 01:14:21
If that happens, and we'll have to reevaluate how. 01:14:29
So you know, nutrition education will be. 01:14:33
Done in Dodge County, if that's even a possibility. So. 01:14:37
How many people does that affect? In our county, we have 1 1/2 per se. We have a coordinator that overseas. 01:14:41
The other county, she just got hired, Melissa, she will be here next month so you can meet her. And then Kimberly, that's our 01:14:49
educator here and she works here and in. 01:14:54
One other county. 01:14:59
Oh no, you thought I meant employees. I'm asking how many people who live in Dodge County will be affected. I don't know that 01:15:01
number off the top of my head. I'd have to go grab our annual report that we're working on. 01:15:06
But a lot. 01:15:12
Because she does a lot. 01:15:14
So that's kind of out of our control because it's federal funding. It is 100% funded by not extension or not extension. 01:15:18
And not the county. So it's that federal. No, you can shut the door. 01:15:28
OK. Other than that, unless you have any other questions, well, we'll get that information for you about how many? 01:15:33
Especially because our annual reports almost done. 01:15:42
OK. 01:15:45
Manuel, yes, great. 01:15:46
Hello. 01:15:49
Let me see. 01:15:50
Yeah. 01:15:53
Thank you. 01:15:54
Well, I'm I'm glad to be back here. 01:15:56
I guess I'll try to be brief too. 01:16:00
So you guys know I started last October. 01:16:03
Since I started as part of my job in extension, I started conducting and its assessment. 01:16:06
That is continuously going on. 01:16:11
I keep meeting up. 01:16:15
Different parties of the industry. 01:16:17
So I continue to I mentioned earlier. 01:16:20
In another meeting that about two workshops I did. 01:16:24
I host it. 01:16:28
One of Calvin management and the other one for fear school. But what I really want to highlight today is something that you guys 01:16:30
have in your desk by this time of the year the farmers are. 01:16:35
Mainly busy at the field so it's time for us to work more. 01:16:41
Like office kind of thing to plan and to, yeah. 01:16:45
Plan to what we're gonna execute later. 01:16:50
In the year, but also to provide them information. 01:16:53
So I want to highlight that I've been. 01:16:55
Working probably more passionate towards. 01:16:57
My bilingual part which? 01:17:01
Honestly, it does. 01:17:04
Not mean that I'm doing anything different, but every single thing that I do or the team does, I put the effort of doing it 01:17:05
bilingually to offer. 01:17:09
Whatever extension is offering. 01:17:13
I me. And not only me, but the team. The very team. 01:17:15
We try to put every single thing bilingually so it's available for everyone. In the bilingual team, there's not only bilingual 01:17:20
people, there's also only. 01:17:24
English speakers which just enrich the group. 01:17:30
The newsletter that you guys have there in front of you is the first issue of the Bowie Noticias is Just one Page. 01:17:34
Newsletter. 01:17:41
You have two copies of it. One is in Spanish and 1 is in English. 01:17:43
They have exactly the same information which we found to be critical for farmers to be to be able to know. 01:17:47
To share the same information between the management part and the workers, there's not only. 01:17:54
Like. 01:17:59
Barrier in language itself. 01:18:01
Both parties speaking different language but also sharing different information. So what we really wanted to do with this? 01:18:04
Is to put the same information for both sides and help them. 01:18:11
Breach those gaps. 01:18:15
We want to provide research based information. 01:18:17
That is also practical and help them to. 01:18:21
Feel some skills or two. 01:18:23
Trust more or? 01:18:26
Keep relying on those skills that are good. 01:18:28
And also to create like a farm culture. 01:18:31
That is more positive for both sides. 01:18:35
Gapping that barrier. 01:18:37
Also with the bilingual work. 01:18:39
We're planning on doing a webinar that is done every year, but this year I'm part of the. 01:18:43
Of the webinar, so we're going to be. 01:18:51
Trying to focus again on bringing information that is actually practical in the years, years before it started to be like that. 01:18:54
But then. 01:18:58
Because of the impact that it had, like it went worldwide, because the educator, which is actually Alison Fowl, the one that was 01:19:02
here before. 01:19:06
She convocated a lot of people from all over the world since the industry. 01:19:11
Can be. 01:19:17
I would say small sometimes and then we get together in the congresses and and events. So it went worldwide, but we wanted to 01:19:19
bring it back to focus on the issues of Wisconsin. 01:19:23
And more focus on practical things that we can provide to the. 01:19:28
To the farmers of the region. 01:19:33
I'm also working. 01:19:35
On this bilingual research that is. Oh, and that one that that webinar we're doing at this time with the collaboration of Cornell 01:19:37
University, which is something called. 01:19:42
Also about that collaboration in the bilingual aspect, we're doing some research or collaborating and research with university, 01:19:48
with Michigan State University. 01:19:52
Is actually some research. We're gathering information and I'm doing that in my region too. 01:19:57
Using surveys to see. 01:20:02
What are the strategies that farmers. 01:20:04
Used to bridge those gaps between between English and Spanish, Spanish if there those are. 01:20:06
I mean well known by the farmers. 01:20:13
But those are not documented, and if they're not documented, there's no research we can. 01:20:17
Move ahead to provide more tools for them to reduce those. 01:20:21
Hookups and. 01:20:26
One thing that I wanted to mention also is. 01:20:28
Extension used to offer a tractor safety training. 01:20:32
That is something that one of the farmers that I first met. 01:20:36
From Nell's Brothers farm which is really close here. 01:20:40
Told me about it, they wanted to bring it back. 01:20:43
I don't know really the reasons why extension stopped doing it. 01:20:47
But we're trying to bring it back in collaboration with these farmers and. 01:20:52
That that is not only from the dairy team, but also from the dairy farm management. 01:20:56
Team and that is something cool because that is a need not only from this. 01:21:01
County, but for all the other ones. But we're gonna start doing like a pilot, hopefully at the beginning of the fall. 01:21:06
In order to bring that training back, which is. 01:21:13
Something that the finders have been asking for. 01:21:16
I think that training got cut because I used to teach it. I think they got cut because they're having a hard time finding. 01:21:18
Volunteers to teach. 01:21:25
Right. I do know Mayville is having a program. I think it's Mayville 'cause I was asked to do that last winter. So I think maybe I 01:21:27
might have some kind of, I don't know if it's through the FFA or not. 01:21:31
But that might be something you might want to reach out and check into. But I think Mabel's doing something or right, they did 01:21:36
this like this earlier this year. 01:21:39
Right, right. So. 01:21:44
So we're working with John Schottky. He seems to be very. 01:21:49
He he knows he has been part of those trainings before. 01:21:55
And he is relying, I think he has a program that was allowed. 01:21:58
For him to work with. 01:22:03
I don't. I think maybe Penn State University had like a very strong program for training safety. 01:22:06
We're working with him. 01:22:11
It's very hard because we need like we're gonna need. 01:22:13
Sponsors and space to execute too. 01:22:18
But this farm specifically is like also doing a huge effort to. 01:22:22
Make it real. So we're gonna be trying to push that. 01:22:29
Yeah, and that's pretty much I wanted to highlight the the violin, what we're doing. 01:22:33
Just for general knowledge, I made some research before coming here. There's still no. 01:22:39
AVN influenza cases in. 01:22:46
Derek House in the county. So that's right. We we keep on thinking on that all the time. 01:22:50
To see how we can help to. 01:22:56
On prevention, we we do it. There's a couple articles that we do. 01:22:58
Put out for farmers to. 01:23:01
Get to know what's going on, but. 01:23:04
Looks like it's going to happen at some point. So we're we're also. 01:23:07
Having an eye on it so we will be ready. 01:23:11
Or not. 01:23:14
I don't know if you guys have any questions. 01:23:16
OK, they don't hear any questions, so. 01:23:22
We'll go to the. I think that's it then. OK, well, thank you so much. 01:23:25
OK. We'll go on to the agency advisors. 01:23:29
To be Sawyer. 01:23:34
And everyone. 01:23:41
Aren't umm. 01:23:43
Yeah. So I just got some highlighted updates of what we've been doing in our office of recent. 01:23:45
Our Conservation Stewardship Program contract obligation deadline is this Wednesday so fast approaching. 01:23:50
We basically had 12 new CSPS get funded across Dodge County. 01:23:59
These are for practices related to, you know, no till grass waterways. 01:24:04
You know, you name it, it's probably included cover crops, that type of stuff. 01:24:09
Additional funding is kind of trickling down. 01:24:14
Through USDA nationally. 01:24:19
There may be a few new contracts that get like selected here. 01:24:22
Within the next month. 01:24:26
All of our contracts have to be obligated. 01:24:28
You know official contracts prior to our September 30th. 01:24:31
Fiscal year deadline. So that's kind of the the line in the sand that it has to be done by. 01:24:34
Additionally. 01:24:40
We've completed and wrapped up our site visits for. 01:24:42
Our random compliance check with Farm Service Agency. This is for our highly erodible land and wetland compliance. 01:24:46
Basically checking that. 01:24:54
You know, wetlands aren't being filled and we don't have giant gullies down hillsides, that type of stuff, so. 01:24:55
That's all been submitted in our system. 01:25:02
Any land owners that may have had a few issues pop up were notifying and working with them to remedy the issues. 01:25:05
Also, you know. 01:25:14
Corn's been growing. 01:25:16
Pretty rapidly within the last. 01:25:18
Week or so with the warm weather and rainfall, so we're trying to get all of our no till strip till checks. 01:25:20
Prior to. 01:25:27
You know. 01:25:29
We won't be able to see the the soil pretty quick if we if we prolong it any longer. 01:25:29
So we're hoping to have that wrapped up here in the next week or so. 01:25:34
Then we can make our. 01:25:38
Payments for our equip program. 01:25:40
The remaining time we will just spend in the field. 01:25:43
Addressing other resource concerns, whether their water quality, you know, soil health, erosion issues. 01:25:46
Trying to get some. 01:25:53
Good applications ready for our next fiscal year. 01:25:55
So November is our main sign up. So if we can have a bunch of good applications prior to November. 01:25:58
That'll just be that much better contracts. 01:26:05
And the last thing we're working on is it's kind of our construction season for any engineering practices that we have, so. 01:26:08
You know, this could be anything from newer pits that we have. 01:26:16
Funded waterways, grazing systems, wetland scrapes. 01:26:20
You know, the whole gamut of all those practices. 01:26:25
Especially with wheat going to be coming off here in the next month. 01:26:28
You know, maybe two months. 01:26:32
That's kind of our super busy time for construction. 01:26:35
So as those projects go in, we meet with the contractors and just make sure everything meets our standards so we can ultimately 01:26:38
just cost share on it. 01:26:43
Other than that, that's really all I have unless there's any. 01:26:49
Questions or concerns? 01:26:52
Any questions from the committee? 01:26:55
OK. Thank you, guys. Matt. 01:26:58
Good morning, everyone. 01:27:09
So for FSA. 01:27:12
I just got a few updates. 01:27:14
We still are waiting for the finalization of our CRP sign up that we had. 01:27:16
That closed. 01:27:22
Next couple weeks we should hear something. 01:27:23
We did not hear anything about the extension of continuous sign up either. 01:27:26
So CRP is just generally on hold for right now. 01:27:32
They did announce, and we did pay last week, the second round of mask payments. 01:27:36
That was the multiple. 01:27:42
Crop specialty crop payment that went out in March ish. I think you paid at 85% rate, they're going to pay out the rest. 01:27:44
And amounts to 1.3 billion across the nation. 01:27:54
Nothing the farmers had to sign up for at this time. 01:27:58
If you got mask 1, you will get another payment here in the next week or so. 01:28:01
We are working on our spring season or summer season of crop reporting. As of today, we are roughly 55% done of getting producers 01:28:07
in. 01:28:12
A little shy of our goal, but we're doing. 01:28:18
OK, at this point we got a deadline on that of July 15th. 01:28:21
So we're working to get guys in the door and get that wrapped up. 01:28:26
And this is our FSA County Committee nomination period, which opened in June. 01:28:31
Runs to August 1st, so we're always looking for new farmers to run as members of our committee. 01:28:37
So if you know anybody that's interested, send them to the office. 01:28:43
And lastly, we have a new program coming out. 01:28:48
It's one of these supplemental program. It's called the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program. 01:28:53
We don't know much about it yet. We've got training coming this week. 01:28:58
But that will be rolling out here fairly soon. 01:29:02
So that's all I have for. 01:29:05
News from FSA, Anybody have any questions for me? 01:29:08
OK. Thank you and appreciate the time. Thank you. 01:29:13
OK. Next up will be a request from Lake Improvement District for financial assistance for USGS monitoring station. You guys can 01:29:16
come up here. 01:29:20
I disclosed to the committee that I am on that this this group. I am a commissioner representing Dodge County on the Lake 01:29:25
Sinnissippi. 01:29:28
District. So if if there if the committee does take action, I will abstain. 01:29:32
Good morning. 01:29:38
I'm Dave Matthews. I'm Commissioner on the Lakes and Mississippi Improvement District. I am filling in this morning for our chair, 01:29:40
Christine Clem, who is not. 01:29:44
Available this morning. 01:29:49
This request is. 01:29:52
Consideration of cost sharing with the county. 01:29:53
And that the county gives consideration as it develops its 2026. 01:29:58
Budget. 01:30:03
What this is we have installed. There is one correction. I assume everyone received a letter. 01:30:05
That was shared. 01:30:11
The Lake Improvement District has installed a United States Geological Service monitoring gauge at the Tweedy St. Bridge in 01:30:13
Hustisford, not Juneau. So that was just a. 01:30:19
One correction there, that gauge is up and running and it's been running for about a month. If you look on the link you can see 01:30:26
one nice panorama of the inlet towards the dam as well as Pelicans swimming around, but it is collecting quite a bit of data 01:30:31
already. 01:30:37
The second part of it is that the USGS is putting a gauge on the highway S bridge, which is the Rock River coming out of Horicon 01:30:42
and and downstream. That is a that is a manual monitoring. 01:30:50
It'll be done about 8 to 10 times a year. 01:30:57
One of the reasons why we have done this is last year our. 01:31:01
Lake management plan was approved by the Wisconsin DNR and we were one of the requirements is we had to collect data for. 01:31:06
Scientific purposes to show the water level changes within the lake because we have on our docket a lot of projects that we want 01:31:16
to do to help improve lake quality. 01:31:21
And as well as the entire watershed. 01:31:26
So this you know and and then on top besides that we have are soliciting 3 homeowner volunteers to to do additional water level 01:31:31
monitoring so we can capture different. 01:31:38
Fluctuations over a two year period started in 2025. This is to go through the end of 2026. 01:31:44
And to have that data which we would report to the USGS and then we would. 01:31:51
It would help us with besides lake management plan but also determining this was a requirement for determining what are 01:31:57
appropriate drop down levels for you know, different points of the year, what has changed because what has changed over time. So 01:32:02
this data would help. 01:32:07
Demonstrate how we can. 01:32:13
You know. 01:32:16
Improve, you know, lake quality. 01:32:18
OK. 01:32:23
Does anyone have any questions? 01:32:23
So this is for the. 01:32:27
Each level. Now the station question. 01:32:29
It is for the. 01:32:32
The main cost is the. 01:32:34
Is the automatic monitoring station on the Tweedy St. bridge. 01:32:36
And then the additional cost is because that's 5700 a year, then the seven $57150 is for actual USGS staff. 01:32:40
To go to that. 01:32:50
To the South Street bridge and collect data that is a manual monitoring station. 01:32:52
And then it's their collection of this data and compiling it for us. 01:32:57
At the screen gauge. 01:33:02
I don't know don't know that answer. 01:33:05
It's a manual monitoring station on Hwy. S The Tweedy St. bridge is an automated that one, yes. 01:33:08
So the request to monitor and manage both of those station. 01:33:15
Correct. 01:33:19
And to, you know, monitor the water level changes over a two year period. 01:33:21
OK. 01:33:29
Committee. 01:33:31
I know you said it and I apologize them. 01:33:34
What was the amount again? 01:33:37
It's 6400, a year that we will be well we've allocated in our budget. 01:33:38
But it's over a two year period, so 5700 for the automatic station and then 750 for the USGA staff to do the manual monitoring. So 01:33:44
it's it's only for this budget of course. 01:33:50
Correct. 01:33:56
OK. Any other questions from the committee? 01:34:01
I don't have a question but I have a comment that. 01:34:05
I know Fox League did a similar thing for their five key element plan when they did their lake management plan and they had to put 01:34:07
out. 01:34:10
Monitors and they monitored them. 01:34:14
They didn't request for any funding. 01:34:17
But I know if this passes. 01:34:19
Next time they will. 01:34:20
Request. 01:34:22
Well, the the the board or this committee does not have to act on it today. It can. It can consider in its budget, it can. 01:34:24
You know, it doesn't have to act to fund it. Today we are making the budget coming up when you start making the budget, John 01:34:32
working on it, no. 01:34:35
They can give consideration if we want at that time, but if you want to either, if you want to pass it, you can course take a 01:34:39
motion to pass it. 01:34:42
That's up to you guys. Make a motion or not make a motion, That's up to you. 01:34:47
I know this isn't really made any different than what we just did with the last one. 01:34:50
OK, correct. Can I speak or hang on? I'm sorry. I think it is different because this is a. 01:34:55
A district. 01:35:02
Requesting the money, not a private taxing authority. So the district. 01:35:03
This has changed the way. 01:35:09
The other one that's in there is always on the same thing. Is that going to make? 01:35:11
Are the levels pretty much the same? We haven't been doing the formal monitoring. This is just this is the formal monitoring now 01:35:15
we've done. 01:35:19
We've had lake individual individuals on the lake that did ad hoc monitoring, but this is to have actual data. 01:35:24
Over the course of two years from from these stations. 01:35:31
So if we approve this, this will go to as a recommendation to the county board. 01:35:39
It'll be included in my budget, but then the county board will review it. 01:35:43
So it could get yanked if it's in there? Yep. 01:35:48
I'm not sure they're gonna. 01:35:53
Squawk about $6000. 01:35:55
But who knows? 01:35:57
That comes directly out of your budget, John. 01:36:00
Well, it be. 01:36:03
Taxes. County taxes that would be added to my budget to pay for it. 01:36:06
I think we should think about it. It's been a really, as you can understand, an exhausting morning and. 01:36:13
I'm just suggesting the. 01:36:21
Can think about it and maybe vote on it next month. 01:36:23
But if you someone feels differently, that's how. 01:36:27
Do you want this emotion? Do you want to make a motion to a certain time for next month or, or do you want John just to consider 01:36:29
it or, or does he want him to consider it as he makes his budget? I want him to put it on the agenda so we can consider it next 01:36:34
month. 01:36:38
July is not too late to add budget items. 01:36:43
And it really starts to come together in September, August. 01:36:46
OK. We have a motion to move this to the next committee. Is there a second? 01:36:50
I'll second it. Second by Ken, is there any discussion? 01:36:54
We're going to actually study the entire Rock River. We're going to need this kind of data up and down the river. 01:36:58
Each of the stations that are there and then in between. 01:37:04
To give a good hydrolysis analysis of it. 01:37:07
Bachelor. 01:37:10
Yes, I'm favourable. 01:37:13
Here OK. 01:37:15
Yeah, I I will abstain, but those in favor signify by saying aye. 01:37:16
Aye, aye. 01:37:20
OK. Hearing none. OK, motion to move it to next month. So we will reconsider this at next month's meeting. OK. Thank you very 01:37:21
much. We appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. 01:37:25
OK. 01:37:32
Are we? Is this online? This number 5? 01:37:34
Kevin. No, no, no. Yeah, yeah, Kevin. 01:37:37
Yeah, we're doing the. So Kevin will be joining us. Kevin, are you still there? 01:37:40
Hey, can you hear me? 01:37:46
Yes. 01:37:48
You're on. 01:37:50
Yep. Did you want to give a brief intro, John, or you just want me to get right into it? 01:37:51
You can just get right into it. I mean, everybody knows we've been doing this for five years. We're done with the first five years 01:37:56
as. 01:38:00
Thing and you're giving us a summary of what you've accumulated over the Year 5 year period. 01:38:03
Cool, I'll breeze through this because I know it looks like a lot of the same, you know? 01:38:08
Committee members, but just for those that might be new. 01:38:12
Been working with John and his. 01:38:16
His department on. 01:38:19
On this well water monitoring. 01:38:21
You know, the real goal. I think we we talked many years ago. 01:38:24
Back in 2019 about the availability of good baseline data, but this question of. 01:38:29
Is groundwater well water quality getting better or worse? Was kind of an outstanding question. So that was. 01:38:35
What we set out to do and and to do that well. 01:38:41
We felt it was necessary to test. 01:38:45
A significant number of wells representative of the county. 01:38:48
Spatially, as well as the diversity of geology, land use. 01:38:52
Soils. 01:38:56
And the same wells was really important because otherwise you're you're kind of comparing apples to oranges. 01:38:58
So that was the intent. 01:39:04
We recruited wells with known well construction report. 01:39:06
Information. So that was mostly wells drilled after 1988? 01:39:11
Again, we tried to get wells that were spatially distributed. 01:39:16
And all things being equal, we, we gave preference to people that participated in previous well testing because it gave us kind 01:39:19
of. 01:39:23
Additional data points in the past that we could. 01:39:26
Utilize. 01:39:29
Annually, we mailed sample kits. Participants collected samples, mailed them back. 01:39:31
Using prepaid mailers, they were analyzed here at UWSP in the Water and Remember Analysis Lab. 01:39:37
Which is state certified to perform those those particular analysis? 01:39:43
And the participants were mailed results and given interpretive information. 01:39:47
And I would come or have come to Dodge County or presented to Dodge County annually. 01:39:52
On the results. 01:39:58
If we look originally we recruited or reached out to over 900 land owners. 01:40:01
That first year. 01:40:06
We had approximately 41% of the the people that we reached out to. 01:40:08
Indicating that they wanted to participate and and successfully participated. 01:40:14
So that was 374 in year 1. By Year 5, we did have some attrition. 01:40:20
But we retained. 01:40:25
Over the course of that five years, we retained about 75%. 01:40:27
Of the study participants, which I thought was was really incredible. It shows the interest I think and the enthusiasm that. 01:40:31
That people had for the project. 01:40:38
And I do think it was really valuable, as we'll see. 01:40:40
Here what did we test for? The main things were nitrate chloride, which. 01:40:43
Change because mainly of land use impacts things that we do on the land surface. 01:40:47
Whether it's agricultural activity. 01:40:52
Development. 01:40:55
Road salt influence in the case of chloride. 01:40:56
There's other things that we looked at because it helps us distinguish or interpret the results. 01:41:00
Things like hardness and alkalinity that are impacted by the rocks or the soils. 01:41:06
And then conductivity, which has some other applications as well. These were all tests that were included. 01:41:12
I'm going to focus on the nitrate and the chloride because I think those are. 01:41:17
Of probably most interest to this committee. 01:41:20
Chloride naturally is low, although I suspect there's some naturally occurring. 01:41:23
Elevated chloride due to the soils in the geology and in eastern Wisconsin, which. 01:41:29
Might be influencing some of the results, but. 01:41:35
Fertilizers, mainly potash. 01:41:37
Plants like the potassium, but it's often in the form of potassium chloride. 01:41:40
Which chloride is highly leachable? 01:41:45
Human waste. Because of all the salt that we consume, we excrete a lot of chloride. 01:41:48
There's chloride brine. 01:41:53
Due to the softening process which might come from septic systems. 01:41:55
And then again, Rd. salt influence is another reason why it might be elevated. 01:41:58
What we saw were about 9% of wells tested greater than 100 milligrams per liter. 01:42:03
When we get levels above that, a lot of times it is. 01:42:10
We can kind of find some evidence that it's attributed to. 01:42:15
To kind of Rd. salt. 01:42:18
Use or maybe impervious surfaces parking lots. 01:42:21
That are getting those those treatments during the winter months. 01:42:25
28% of wells tested less than 10, so I do think there's some. 01:42:28
Some somewhat elevated concentrations just due to naturally. 01:42:32
Occurring chloride deposits in the mineralogy. 01:42:37
But you'll notice that from year to year the the graph on the lower right. 01:42:40
From year to year, if we were to look at just the average chloride concentrations. 01:42:45
At a county level, those blue dots are the average. 01:42:50
The box plots that that horizontal line are the median, so the median is essentially 50% of the values. 01:42:54
Are above that. 50% of the values are below that. 01:43:01
It's similar, but a little bit different than than thinking about it in terms of an average. 01:43:04
If we look at that average, it's it's tough to see much variability at a county. 01:43:10
Level, which is why we focused on on testing the same wells. 01:43:15
And we'll look at that information in a little bit. 01:43:19
But you you do notice that the. 01:43:22
You know the the town of Beaver Dam. 01:43:24
You know, does show some of the highest concentrations. That's not surprising given. 01:43:27
That's probably the part of the county with with the most impervious areas or the most development. 01:43:32
Associated with that. 01:43:38
If we look at trends. 01:43:40
So these are the the individual. 01:43:42
Locations and the the circles. 01:43:44
The yellow dots are are no trend. 01:43:48
The red dots are increasing trends and the blue dots are are decreasing trends. 01:43:51
There were more. 01:43:56
Wells increasing with respect to chloride. 01:43:57
Then decreasing the vast majority of wells you'll see do not show. 01:44:00
Change, or I should say trends, it doesn't mean that they're not variable, it just means that they're not changing. 01:44:05
In a repeatable way, meaning increasing or decreasing. 01:44:11
When I look at where? 01:44:15
A lot of the wells with trends are occurring. 01:44:17
You know, it does appear to be in areas where we have. 01:44:20
Impacts. 01:44:24
That may be attributed to Rd. salt activity. 01:44:25
But again, I think the vast majority of wells, 85% not showing. 01:44:29
Repeatable changes with respect to that, but some information that could be helpful. 01:44:34
Down the line and interpreting or understanding why. 01:44:40
These changes might be happening in certain areas. 01:44:43
If we look at nitrate. 01:44:46
This is important because it does have health considerations associated with it. 01:44:48
Levels less than 10 are are suitable for drinking greater than that. 01:44:53
We don't want that water to be used by infants or women who are may become pregnant. 01:44:58
We do want everyone to avoid long term consumption of nitrate above 10 as well because of. 01:45:03
Things like thyroid disease or potential increased risk of certain cancers. 01:45:08
Here the sources are agricultural fertilizers, animal waste or other biosolids. 01:45:12
Subject systems as well as you know, lawn fertilizer to a lesser. 01:45:17
Degree. Umm. 01:45:22
Naturally, we'd expect nitrate to be less than probably 1 milligram per liter. 01:45:24
Greater than 10 is is where we we really do urge some caution. 01:45:29
In terms of drinking water? 01:45:33
But then between 1:00 and 10:00. 01:45:35
You know, definitely some. 01:45:37
Diagnostic information that helps us understand how. 01:45:39
How land use might be impacting groundwater in certain certain areas. 01:45:42
If we look at the summary over the five years, you'll see. 01:45:47
Again, that average concentration remains relatively. 01:45:53
Consistent between 1.5 and. 01:45:56
Milligrams per liter. 01:46:00
Some of that change. 01:46:02
You know this is a summary of all the results. 01:46:04
Which you'll see the number that N is the number of samples is decreased. 01:46:07
Overtime. So there there is some some movement. 01:46:13
Or some variability because of, you know, different populations being sampled, smaller population or sample sizes. 01:46:17
But generally speaking, the overall. 01:46:25
Summary at the county level is is pretty similar. 01:46:28
There was, you know, the maximum concentration. 01:46:31
This most recent year and one of the wells was was quite a bit higher than we've seen. 01:46:35
I don't know. I haven't. 01:46:40
Looked specifically at that well in much detail to know what. 01:46:42
If anything, we might be able to see happening in the vicinity of that well, that hood could help explain that. 01:46:45
That was an anomaly when we. 01:46:51
When we look at most of the samples. 01:46:54
The percent exceedance. 01:46:57
You know, was as low as. 01:46:58
And this year it was 7%. 01:47:01
To put that into perspective, the statewide average for nitrate exceedance above 10 is about 7-7 to 8%. 01:47:05
So Dodge County as a whole? 01:47:12
Is on par with that percent exceedance. 01:47:15
When it comes to the average, particularly for an agricultural county. 01:47:18
The average and the median concentration of nitrate is actually quite. 01:47:24
Low. 01:47:29
And I think the map on the lower left showing the the municipalities. 01:47:30
Does a pretty good job of highlighting that. 01:47:36
The counties or the I should say the municipalities in blue probably have a much lower. 01:47:39
Risk lower. 01:47:44
You know chance or prevalence of of elevated nitrate in private wells. 01:47:46
If you look to the northwestern quadrant. 01:47:52
Town of Lamira, I would also say has some additional concerns. We had a low population. 01:47:56
Little sample size there, but that is another area of the county where. 01:48:01
I think umm uh. 01:48:05
Oftentimes shows up as having a greater prevalence of nitrate. 01:48:06
These are some other ways to summarize it if people are are interested in looking at it. 01:48:11
At a municipality range, so. 01:48:16
Again, tonal Amira. 01:48:19
Town of Fox Lake. 01:48:21
Town of Trenton I think are the the three most. 01:48:22
Probably. Likely. 01:48:26
To warrant. 01:48:28
You know, further nitrate monitoring if that was something that the the the county chose to do. 01:48:30
But there's some additional detail pieces of information that could be useful as. 01:48:35
You discussed this moving forward. 01:48:40
The other thing we did was we created models so. 01:48:42
Using the results. 01:48:46
Trying to develop statistical models of the soil. 01:48:48
And the land use. 01:48:51
We applied that information to create these predictive tools. 01:48:53
So what you're seeing here is, is looking at nitrate risk as a function of individual parcels. 01:48:57
Each parcel was assigned a risk tolerance based on. 01:49:04
The soils and the land use around it. 01:49:08
And. 01:49:11
The blue areas are low risk. 01:49:13
The orange. 01:49:15
Is starting to get moderate risk and then the red would be. 01:49:18
Probably the highest risk. 01:49:22
Compared to other parts of the county, I think the the risk is. 01:49:25
Is is lower than what we see in places like, let's say the central sand, so it. 01:49:29
It doesn't necessarily. 01:49:33
Mean that these results are high. 01:49:36
With respect to the state of Wisconsin, but with respect to Dodge County. 01:49:38
The areas in red. 01:49:44
Would be areas of of maybe focal point or or additional. 01:49:45
Concern. 01:49:50
How does it compare? These are. 01:49:52
Results from the Wisconsin Well Water Viewer. 01:49:54
So aggregating. 01:49:57
Thousands of results. 01:49:59
You know, maybe even, you know, 10s of thousands of results over the last 30 or 40 years. 01:50:01
What it's showing in the grid cells the the the squares are. 01:50:06
Aggregated information at A1 square mile resolution. 01:50:11
The darker the red, the higher the average nitrate concentration. 01:50:16
So the point being is that I think historically the the data that we have on nitrate. 01:50:21
Does line up pretty well with the predictive maps. 01:50:27
Predictive tools that we created. 01:50:30
As a result of this project with that North. 01:50:32
Western portion of Dodge County. 01:50:36
As well as the northeastern portion tunnel of Myra. 01:50:38
Being areas of maybe more focal point or or concern. 01:50:41
When it comes to trends with respect to nitrate. 01:50:46
We did not see as much. 01:50:49
Trending as we did with. 01:50:52
Chloride, there's some reasons for this that have, I think a lot to do with the types of soils that you have there. 01:50:55
Helping to breakdown or what we call denitrify. 01:51:01
And lower nitrate concentrations. 01:51:06
About 93% of the wells that participated over the course of the five years showed no change or no trend. 01:51:08
There were equal numbers, essentially increasing. 01:51:15
As decreasing. 01:51:19
With respect to nitrate. 01:51:20
This just shows the. 01:51:24
Annual nitrate variability so. 01:51:25
In each of. 01:51:28
The years we essentially. 01:51:30
Are displaying the nitrate concentration as a color. 01:51:32
Or those those very thin vertical bars. 01:51:36
Are essentially the same well. 01:51:40
In each year. 01:51:42
And you'll see on the the far right graph. 01:51:44
You know that color is essentially the same color. 01:51:47
In each of the five years, showing very low variability if your nitrate concentration is less than. 01:51:50
And two or less than one. 01:51:56
The chances of it varying significantly are are slim to none. 01:51:59
But it I think does show or highlight the benefit of. 01:52:04
Of more routine or annual testing for any. 01:52:07
Private well owner. 01:52:10
Whether it's as part of this project or outside the project. 01:52:12
Which is what? 01:52:16
You know, as a responsibility of each individual, well owner. 01:52:18
To do that testing, I think hopefully it provides information to to rural land owners. 01:52:21
As to why it's important to maybe test more routinely than let's say every five years or every 10 years? 01:52:26
Particularly when it's elevated, we can see some variability. 01:52:34
And the previous graph showed that some of those do show. 01:52:38
Trends Overtime. 01:52:41
We did the same thing. 01:52:45
With nitrate. 01:52:47
We did that with chloride as well. 01:52:49
So if we look at the chloride risk map. 01:52:52
You'll see that most of the chloride risk. 01:52:55
Is generally associated with urban areas. 01:52:58
That's not surprising, just given. 01:53:02
The the use of Rd. salt and the inability of soil to kind of breakdown chloride. 01:53:05
As it's moving through the sediment. 01:53:11
Into our groundwater. 01:53:13
So in summary. 01:53:15
I think what we've learned is that the majority of wells do not show trends with respect to nitrate chloride. 01:53:17
There are portions or wells and portions of Dodge County that are more likely to contain. 01:53:23
Elevated levels of nitrate and or chloride. 01:53:29
Even though wells may not have trends, it helps. 01:53:32
I think emphasize the importance of routine well testing for understanding variability from year to year. 01:53:37
But I know. 01:53:42
You know, previous to this study there was a lot of questions. 01:53:44
A lot of assumptions that Dodge County groundwater was. 01:53:47
Was getting worse. 01:53:51
You know, there was a lot of, you know, hope, I think because of all the agricultural practices. 01:53:52
Conservation practices being adopted that. 01:53:57
Groundwater quality was was getting better. 01:54:00
And I think it's maybe a little bit of a mixed bag. 01:54:03
It's not necessarily getting worse. 01:54:08
There are some areas where it's it's increasing. 01:54:11
There's some areas where it's decreasing, but hopefully this information I think provides context. 01:54:13
To maybe you know where it might be beneficial to invest resources moving forward. 01:54:19
Or at least prioritizing and being more strategic about. 01:54:24
The outreach to private well owners or or in terms of targeting. 01:54:29
Conservation practices with respect to to groundwater in particular. 01:54:34
Hopefully the information will be useful. 01:54:39
Moving forward. 01:54:42
What's next for the project is John stated this was the last year of funding. 01:54:43
So there may not be any additional. 01:54:48
Steps taken other than you know. 01:54:51
You know the fact that the dashboard will be available online. 01:54:54
At least for the next couple of years. 01:54:57
In its current form, we're going through an update of of this past year. 01:55:01
So it will be updated shortly and will be available for people to view and interact with. 01:55:05
We do have a final report that we're putting together that will be delivered to. 01:55:10
Land Conservation Department summarizing the five years of data. 01:55:15
So that it can be archived for future reference. 01:55:18
And if interested in discussing potential future. 01:55:22
Next steps related to this work. 01:55:26
You know, I just came up with three possibilities. It might be no further action. 01:55:29
At this time. 01:55:33
There could be discussions about pursuing additional funding to continue testing. 01:55:35
The existing network of private wells. 01:55:39
To see if there's additional information that could be gained. 01:55:43
Or, you know, there's another possibility of altering the sampling strategy based on funding. 01:55:46
Or priorities to be a little bit more strategic, maybe it's not necessary to look at the. 01:55:51
The entire county. 01:55:56
In that level of detail, but are there specific parts of the county that might? 01:55:58
Might be beneficial to continue looking at. 01:56:03
We're altering the strategy for for additional or different goals. 01:56:06
I will leave it there. I just want to make sure to acknowledge the the Dodge County Board. 01:56:13
The Dodge County Conservation Extension Committee. 01:56:18
John's department as well as Department of Human. 01:56:21
Health and Human Services. 01:56:25
That have been instrumental with supporting some of this work. 01:56:27
OK. Thanks, Kevin. If you guys have any questions for him? 01:56:35
I have one question on that map. I don't know if I read it correctly, but it seemed like neighboring counties, Dane and Columbia 01:56:39
had higher nitrate levels than Dodge. 01:56:43
Did I read that correctly? 01:56:48
And if so, why? 01:56:50
Yeah, it it so this this viewer is publicly available as well, so. 01:56:52
You can't explore that on your own, but but you are correct. 01:56:58
As you go West towards Colombia and and and Dane County. 01:57:02
The geography, the the soils. 01:57:08
Are quite a bit different, you know, the soils become well drained that landscape is. 01:57:11
What we would call internally drained, so it's, you know, Prairie pothole. 01:57:16
Which the water is not running off into. 01:57:21
Rivers and streams. It might be running off into low spots. 01:57:24
Where it has a greater ability to soak in and and and end up. 01:57:28
In the groundwater. 01:57:32
So it's, it's largely I think due to. 01:57:34
Soils and and geography a little bit. 01:57:38
The types of agriculture. 01:57:41
May play a role as well, but I think a lot of times the types of agriculture. 01:57:44
Are often dictated by the landscape itself. 01:57:49
But you are not incorrect in your assumption that. 01:57:52
You know, for. 01:57:56
Much agricultural activity that Dodge County sees. 01:57:58
With respect to groundwater quality in this question of nitrate. 01:58:04
It does fare quite well. 01:58:08
Relative to some of its neighbors to the West. 01:58:10
There's implications obviously for for surface water. 01:58:17
I think that a lot of the previous conversations today alluded to. 01:58:21
You know, challenges for for managing water. 01:58:25
Running off over the surface, but with respect to groundwater. 01:58:28
I think you can kind of see that Dodge County, you know, there's, there's parts of the county that. 01:58:33
Groundwater might be a higher priority. 01:58:37
Than than others. 01:58:41
I have a question. 01:58:47
Hi, this is Lisa Durr and I'm asking. 01:58:49
You know, in the past, are you saying that? 01:58:52
If you. 01:58:56
From the little I've listened at the seminars, it sounded like you. 01:58:58
Were found the counties. 01:59:04
Who repeated the study with the same testing? 01:59:07
Had the best ability to make inferences about the long term because you didn't start changing the pattern of testing and that's 01:59:11
just another factor to be introduced in that. 01:59:16
You even congratulated and I can't remember the county. 01:59:21
I think there were two. 01:59:25
And we were one and they did this really long time, but you congratulated them because they continued the same testing over a long 01:59:26
period of time. 01:59:30
Do you remember that county? 01:59:34
I I do there's there's a couple, there might be some that were added, but it's. 01:59:36
Chippewa, uh. 01:59:41
Green. 01:59:43
Sock and dodge. 01:59:44
I really think have been leading the way and helping. 01:59:46
Other counties, other communities. 01:59:50
See the value in in this type of strategy. 01:59:52
I get the question a lot from different counties wanting to know. 01:59:57
Is our groundwater quality getting better or worse? And there's a lot of. 02:00:01
Hyperbole. Sometimes there's a lot of inferences made. 02:00:05
But. 02:00:09
When it comes down to it, most communities just have not been collecting this information. 02:00:09
In a reliable, repeatable. 02:00:15
Archivable way. 02:00:18
To be able to. 02:00:19
To have this and I I think it. 02:00:21
Greene County in particular, the information has been. 02:00:24
Extremely valuable at having, I think. 02:00:27
More elevated conversations around. 02:00:30
Conservation and and and agricultural management. 02:00:33
To get beyond some of the. 02:00:37
You know, the unknowns in terms of our things getting better, worse. It really does. 02:00:42
Allow communities to focus in on on areas where it might be getting worse or. 02:00:47
Conversely, if if there's wells that are getting better, what can we learn about? 02:00:52
Land use in the vicinity of those wells that could be replicated. 02:00:57
That is something we probably haven't tapped to tapped into as much as we. 02:01:01
We should have with with this particular data set, but I think is a. 02:01:07
Another thing that I'd like to explore with John, you know, moving forward. 02:01:11
You know, now that we have 300 wells and we've limited it to. 02:01:16
You know, essentially 8% that are trending. 02:01:21
It allows us to be a little bit more strategic in terms of. 02:01:24
Trying to understand what's going on. 02:01:27
Specifically in those areas that. 02:01:30
That can be useful. 02:01:32
So I do want to applaud Dodge County. 02:01:35
Because out of the 72 counties, you're one of four that has really. 02:01:39
Gone above and beyond with respect to. 02:01:43
This question. 02:01:46
So just to follow up, are you? 02:01:49
Saying you can either restrict it to the 8. 02:01:52
Eight places that are trending, you know. 02:01:55
More orange or red? 02:01:58
Or you could can you can do with all the data. 02:02:00
My concern is if you don't do all the data. 02:02:04
Then you miss trending of things that weren't trending in the first five years. 02:02:07
I mean you just you've lost information. 02:02:11
In the future, is that wrong? 02:02:14
Not not wrong I think. 02:02:17
Yeah, I I would agree with that. I mean, in a perfect world. 02:02:21
Every well would be tested annually. 02:02:26
That data would be archived and available. 02:02:29
In in easily accessible ways. 02:02:33
The the question is. 02:02:37
You know, with what? 02:02:39
It costs. 02:02:41
Knowing that we have attrition from year to year. 02:02:42
If we're losing. 02:02:45
20 wells a year. 02:02:47
You know, trying to maintain consistency among those wells. 02:02:50
Gets harder and harder so. 02:02:54
Five years was kind of the minimum I felt was necessary to to get at this question. 02:02:56
If this could be extended indefinitely. 02:03:02
I think that would be great. 02:03:05
The reality is is. 02:03:08
You know, with those wells that are less than one. 02:03:10
I don't, I don't see any evidence. I don't know the likelihood that. 02:03:14
That the majority of them would change. 02:03:18
Or have much variability. 02:03:22
So it becomes a useful data point. 02:03:25
But in a In a. 02:03:28
In an environment of limited resources. 02:03:30
I, I I leave that up to the. 02:03:33
You know, the counties or the communities to decide. 02:03:36
What those next steps would be. But you're, you're absolutely correct. I mean it, it fundamentally changes our ability to analyze 02:03:40
the data. 02:03:43
If we, if we. 02:03:47
If we don't continue testing the same wells or we change. 02:03:49
Which wells? Or we only focus on a subset? 02:03:53
Of the county. 02:03:57
So it sounds like you're saying? 02:03:59
That, umm. 02:04:01
It wouldn't impede the information. 02:04:01
By frankly not continuing testing on wells that are less than 1% and focusing on the higher. 02:04:04
Levels. 02:04:13
With respect, yeah, yeah. With respect to nitrate and chloride, I, I, I do think that's, that's accurate. 02:04:14
OK. 02:04:20
That that would be my professional. 02:04:21
Opinion. 02:04:24
For Dodge County, maybe not other counties. 02:04:25
Thank you. That's what I was looking. The last thing I had is that you said in these counties that were bright red or in these 02:04:31
areas which include our northwest area and I've been on this committee a long time in that northwest area has been bad. 02:04:38
Even before I came on. 02:04:45
And you said we'd urge some caution. 02:04:46
I mean, what does that mean? You send a notice to the landowner? I know that the public restaurant in that area. 02:04:49
UMM does not use their well at all. And that all of the water is served in private bottles. But. 02:04:57
You know they're public. What about the well owners right around there? 02:05:03
I mean, yeah. And I. 02:05:06
That's a great uh, uh. 02:05:08
That's a great question and and I think in terms of how the information could be used like. 02:05:10
When it comes to outreach towards private well owners, if if if staffing resources are are limited. 02:05:17
You know, focusing on those areas where. 02:05:24
Where these issues are more likely, I think make sense either through. 02:05:27
Targeted mailings or. 02:05:32
Or marketing. 02:05:34
You know, subsidizing. 02:05:37
Testing, just organizing convenient testing opportunities. Even if the homeowner has to pay for it, there's things that. 02:05:39
That can be done to facilitate getting. 02:05:46
The information out to those parts of the county which are most susceptible. 02:05:49
To something like nitrate and then. 02:05:55
You know, when it comes to things like conservation. 02:05:57
And in practices. 02:06:00
That would be helpful for reducing nitrate loss to groundwater. 02:06:03
I'm not saying that cover crops are necessarily going to solve it completely. 02:06:08
But if we're looking at. 02:06:13
You know. 02:06:15
Conservation practices being more strategic instead of just random acts of conservation. 02:06:16
Could be helpful and I think this information I think. 02:06:22
Provide some strategic direction for where. 02:06:26
You know where those efforts might have the most utility or the most most benefit moving forward. 02:06:29
Kevin, I think with the budgeting process coming up. 02:06:39
Would you be able to before? 02:06:43
The end of July. 02:06:46
Give me a couple. 02:06:48
Cost estimates if we went ahead with the full five year program as we are now what what that contract would look like. 02:06:52
And another one, if we targeted say we chose all the wells that were five parts per million or higher. 02:06:59
And just targeted those for a five year period. 02:07:07
So we have an idea what what to look at for budgeting purposes. 02:07:10
For sure. Yeah, those they'd be crude estimates. 02:07:15
I'm not allowed to. 02:07:19
Negotiate, yeah. 02:07:21
So when it comes to like final budget numbers, I I just ask for a little bit of grace. 02:07:23
But preliminary numbers? 02:07:29
I should be able to get you in that that time frame. 02:07:32
Understood. 02:07:35
I believe the next county board meeting is July 15th. 02:07:38
I have that date right, Andrew. 02:07:42
I'm sure. 02:07:46
I can verify it right after. 02:07:48
OK. Well, I was wondering, would you be able to come and present to the full county board at the July meeting? 02:07:50
You said July 18th or 15th. 02:07:57
July 15th. 02:08:00
1515. 02:08:01
The Tuesday evening. 02:08:03
Do you sense a? 02:08:05
Negative reaction from the board or just to inform them. I just want to, well, I just want to inform the entire county board what 02:08:07
we've been doing the last five years. 02:08:11
Yeah, yeah. 02:08:15
I will. I will unfortunately be on the road that evening. 02:08:17
OK. 02:08:23
I I'll get back to you John. I might be able to. I just got to check on some things if. 02:08:25
You know essentially what time I'll be back. You said that's an evening meeting. 02:08:31
Yeah, it starts about. 02:08:35
Starts. That's good. 02:08:37
Would August be too late? 02:08:40
To present to the county board? I don't think so. I mean. 02:08:43
'Cause they don't look at the budget until later. 02:08:46
I mean, we could do it in August too. 02:08:48
I mean, I think August would be more. 02:08:51
Probably more convenient or or easier for me to to accommodate. 02:08:54
OK, so that would be the 19th. 02:09:00
Which way? Oh, you get August? Yeah, they're the 19th would be the would be the August meeting. 02:09:04
Yeah, and I'll. 02:09:09
I'll put that on my tentative hold. 02:09:11
OK. 02:09:14
And then you'll get, you're going to get options then from him. Yeah, we'll get some very rough preliminary numbers. 02:09:18
So we can discuss that next month then? 02:09:24
And I wouldn't present that to the county board. I would just say that we're looking at options that'll be in the budgeting 02:09:27
process. 02:09:31
Are you asking for? 02:09:34
When a subset, are you asking at levels over 5? Levels over one What? 02:09:36
Well, that's something that Kevin and I will talk about. I mean, I think if we look at. 02:09:42
At a minimum levels of five parts per million or more, yeah, I think that would be a good placeholder to go if we were looking at. 02:09:47
Targeting versus the entire county wide. 02:09:55
That makes sense, no? 02:09:57
All right. Any other questions for Kevin? 02:10:01
OK. Hearing none, we will move on to the next item. Thanks, Kevin. 02:10:06
Thank you. 02:10:10
Thank you. 02:10:11
Hey John, authorize the five year. 02:10:14
Contract with Decap. 02:10:17
OK. 02:10:19
DACCAP, NRCS, DNR, Fish and Wildlife Service. We have working agreements with them. 02:10:21
To on on how we how the county handles the portions that we handle with them. 02:10:28
It's something that we've signed off and on over the years. The one for the Department of AG Dat cap is coming up for renewal 02:10:34
again. 02:10:38
I've had Kim look at it. 02:10:42
She didn't have any major issues. There was a couple verbiage recommendations she suggested and when I contacted Daccaff they 02:10:44
said, well, this is a we'll put that into considerations for next time. But this is a state contract as is. 02:10:51
So. 02:10:58
I'm I'm recommending that we sign it and send it forward. It's it's nothing major that. 02:11:00
That was a very concern. It's just. 02:11:05
They double reference in different areas about the same thing and she was kind of trying to streamline it. 02:11:07
So so did Kim recommend it as it OK? 02:11:13
OK. Is there a motion to authorize the five years and we will make a motion the contract with that cap? 02:11:19
So moved. 02:11:25
All right, all right. Any further discussion on the contract? 02:11:27
All those in favor signify by saying aye. 02:11:33
Right, those opposed. 02:11:36
OK, OK. I think we'll unless there's objection, we will suspend the land and water video. 02:11:38
Thank you. 02:11:44
Discuss possible research projects on the Dodge County. 02:11:47
Farm, I believe you gave us a couple options last month. 02:11:49
Yeah, what we ended up doing is Will. 02:11:53
And Cameron and Dave trolling and I met and we looked at some of these options and we. 02:11:57
It keeps coming back to. 02:12:03
Where is the equipment coming from if we do a small test plot? 02:12:06
Who's gonna be out there doing the work? 02:12:11
And uh. 02:12:13
We're kind of getting the crunch time now, So what we did is. 02:12:14
We put together. 02:12:18
Request for proposals. 02:12:21
And we put that out, it's available on a website where where the bids are and everything. 02:12:22
It's been out there now. 02:12:27
To where you as a farmer can can come in and put a bid into us. 02:12:29
And it gives you all kinds of options. 02:12:37
I wanna farm the entire farm. 02:12:39
And I wanna try these kind of conservation practices. 02:12:41
That's an option or I want to. 02:12:45
On 10 acres, I want to do a. 02:12:48
Nitrogen study, but on the rest of it I'm on a farmer. 02:12:51
You know as conservation farm, but that'll not be included in it. 02:12:54
So it gives it gives the landowner all kinds of options. 02:12:59
We put a deadline August 1st along with a. 02:13:02
Stipulation that we reserve the right to refuse all offers. 02:13:07
So if if we don't get anything that. 02:13:11
That makes sense to us. 02:13:15
We can say no and at the last minute put it out for for. 02:13:17
Normal rental bids like we have in the past. 02:13:21
Wills on vacation this week, but I did talk to him two weeks ago and he said he had one person contact him already. 02:13:26
With some with some interest in it. So he's talking with him. 02:13:33
But that's all I know right now. I've not had anybody contact my office in regards to this. 02:13:37
He put it out in the Extension newsletter. 02:13:43
It's on the Dodge County website. Our newsletter will be going out. 02:13:47
This week I hope, otherwise next week it'll be included in there. 02:13:52
It was sent out on to the. 02:13:56
Farmer LED group who was sent to them. 02:14:00
So we'll see. We'll see what happens. 02:14:02
I'd be very interested if I was closer. 02:14:08
Yeah, I know. That's that's the thing, you know. 02:14:10
It's gonna be limited to people that are close 'cause nobody from. 02:14:13
Fox Lake or the Myra is going to drive down here to try something. 02:14:16
That they're not doing on their own farm. 02:14:20
All right, we'll just keep this up to date then. 02:14:24
We'll just keep going. Any other questions on that? 02:14:28
OK. Next, we have authorized reimbursement request for debt cap. 02:14:34
Or producer LED Grant. 02:14:39
Yeah. This is just one of the things that they want me every time I request reimbursement from the state for expenses, they want 02:14:41
me to get approval from you guys first. 02:14:45
It's for the farmer LED Grant. 02:14:51
Covers some meeting expenses for this year and it covers mostly cost sharing for their cost share programs from last fall. 02:14:53
It's in the neighborhood. I don't have the numbers in front of me. It's in the neighborhood of $17,000. 02:15:02
So I'm just need your approval for requesting that. 02:15:08
OK, we have a motion to approve. 02:15:13
The dead crib. 02:15:15
The debt cap for producer LED grant reimbursement. 02:15:17
I'll make the motion to approve. Hey, Ben, next motion 10 second. OK. Any discussion on the reimbursement request? 02:15:20
Hearing none, those in favor signify by saying aye. 02:15:30
Aye. 02:15:34
OK, discuss Dodge County's exploration internship program. 02:15:36
OK, just real briefly here. 02:15:40
One of the interns got an eyeful today. I said welcome to Dodge County when I walk by fire. 02:15:43
Oh, you're still here. You came back. 02:15:49
Oh yeah, she didn't leave so OK. 02:15:52
Before baby John, I'll, I'll interrupt and then Yep, go ahead. 02:15:57
This is Mary, Mary Groton. 02:16:00
OK, alright. And she's one of three. 02:16:04
Three of our interns, so she spent today, this morning was with the administrator and that and also as a result of this feeding 02:16:07
happening. 02:16:12
With land on conservation and and a lot of. 02:16:16
Very passionate people. 02:16:20
So that was a good, I think a good experience. See that next week will not be anything like this. 02:16:22
Thomas Yeah, she'll have more time with land water conservation activity. Yeah. 02:16:28
Today and part of. 02:16:33
For most of them are all. 02:16:35
Yes. So we're just about to be. 02:16:38
Heading that way. 02:16:41
And then I'll. 02:16:43
The popping periodically today. 02:16:44
But we are thrilled. 02:16:49
And hammer so. 02:16:51
Enter Enter 2 cohorts. 02:16:52
Out and about today, somewhere else in Dasha. 02:16:55
We'll have Mary next week on Tuesday and Wednesday. We had the first one last week Monday and Tuesday and then the last one will 02:16:58
be the end of July. 02:17:03
What I'm doing is I sit down with him, talk about. 02:17:07
Our department, you know, if they're interested in these are the kind of degrees they need in and what this is, the starting 02:17:10
salary, what the technicians are. 02:17:14
And then? 02:17:18
The the technicians will take them out into the field so. 02:17:20
What's involved with farmland preservation? What does John do in the office? What does he do when he takes them out in the field? 02:17:25
What does Robert do with a nutrient management planning soil infiltration? And what do Dave and Jared do as far as conservation 02:17:29
practices? 02:17:34
So they get out in the field. I try to get them out there as much as I can instead of sitting behind a desk and a computer. 02:17:38
They've actually ran the GPS survey system, the last one did so as long as the weather. 02:17:45
Is is good? We'll get them out and do as much outside as we can. 02:17:50
OK. 02:17:57
I think we'll move on to committee reports and we'll make those a brief because of the length of the meeting. 02:17:59
On lake. 02:18:06
Lake District, obviously you heard that there was a request for money. They need that today. 02:18:08
Most of our meeting was in preparation for Annual meeting coming up in August. 02:18:12
Far as our lake management plan updates our shoreline mapping project. 02:18:18
It's still being worked on. 02:18:22
And they're getting data from drones, which is kind of a neat thing. 02:18:25
In the feasibility study for the lake inlet dredging is about 9090% complete and that that we're waiting on one sediment report 02:18:28
and both projects will be completed prior to the annual meeting. 02:18:33
And and then we also got. 02:18:41
Gets a permit for. 02:18:43
The harassment permit for the birds, I think we're working with LSA to get get one of those permits for a. 02:18:45
Permit. 02:18:53
That's it. That's all I have. 02:18:54
What? What date do you mean? I'm sorry the meeting was on. I'm sorry I didn't. I didn't pre send it. I can send it this afternoon. 02:18:56
My reports was. 02:18:59
June 3rd. June 3rd, 2025. 02:19:04
OK. 02:19:07
Number year or two we realized that the watershed, 90,000 acres would be broken on a club watershed. 02:19:12
He began studying milk crates. Fear creaking. 02:19:18
Break Skype, we continued on and last year. 02:19:21
We looked at Trestle Bay up here S Fox Lake. 02:19:25
And the town of Beaver Dam. 02:19:28
You have the UWW room here, 7 grad students. 02:19:31
And in June? 02:19:35
They work there at the West Shore, Westford. 02:19:36
And the North Shore, which is Fox Lake in parts, right? 02:19:39
So with all of those analysis and stuff. 02:19:42
Sections of the watershed. 02:19:45
We've got to identify 95% of the land and the source into the waste. 02:19:47
We then follow up with sample stations. 02:19:52
Black and orange one. 02:19:56
Now we're taking water samples out of the lake and out of the creeks. 02:19:58
To verify the nutrient load into Beaver Dam light. 02:20:01
And back in 2019 we had a nutrient bound prepared. 02:20:05
With the help of Stevens Point. 02:20:11
And with this 95% coverage, we can qualify that that is correct. 02:20:13
35% of the class person to the lake. 02:20:18
Is associated with the properties around the parcel. 02:20:22
65's already in the light. 02:20:25
That's suspended. 02:20:29
By the carp and by wind wave action. 02:20:31
In by voting action voter activity. 02:20:34
35% is the land mass. 02:20:37
Bringing it up. 02:20:40
We found there are also a lot of positive things happen. 02:20:41
The little Creek here at White Bay. 02:20:45
The producers there. 02:20:49
You, you talk in the veins, have done a very good job of buffering that Creek. 02:20:51
And that water is. 02:20:56
You see the bottom of the Creek. 02:20:58
They have a strong offering, they have strong sanitation protecting that. 02:21:00
Free in the baby into the white. 02:21:04
Brussels Bay. We found that with the carp removal. 02:21:09
You're not seeing as. 02:21:13
Much activity there on the shoreline this year for spawning. 02:21:15
But the clarity is still poor. 02:21:19
We also identified. 02:21:22
Other areas in this area where the WM is practicing. 02:21:26
We're not finding any major issues. There are hotspots where we run away. 02:21:30
So we're seeing a 35%. 02:21:34
Is controllable, you know, looking at. 02:21:37
Small adjustments to the land. 02:21:39
Again, the 55%. 02:21:42
From the legacy to the target that somebody else needed, the DNR has to approach and troubles with. 02:21:44
Kind of is a historic note. 02:21:54
Our first piece of information. 02:21:57
Was provided by. 02:21:59
Bye, Mark. Thank you. 02:22:02
We started with. 02:22:04
He recruited. He took it from the way up to the edge of the county line. 02:22:07
We start looking with that. 02:22:11
910 years ago. 02:22:14
Tried to identify the layer of buffering into the Creek and he identified that it was pretty well buffered and so is today. 02:22:15
For this kind of historic note that Mark started with this kind of started on the analysis. 02:22:23
I mentioned we did the analysis of. 02:22:38
Not obey. That was the pointer stuff survey looking for any vegetation in that day. 02:22:41
And it's not very prosperous. 02:22:46
Very little amount of vegetation. 02:22:49
In July. 02:22:51
We're going to take our vote and do a transect of the way. 02:22:52
And look at the bottom. And look at the reputation. 02:22:56
So with that completion, we'll have the Lake Dud and the ground around it, the 98,000 acres. 02:22:59
Pretty well identified. 02:23:06
Where we can with 100% insurance. 02:23:07
Have some idea of the nutrients based going into the way where we have to spend our time. 02:23:10
I have a question. 02:23:20
What does that mean? 55% DNR has to do something. What does that mean? 02:23:24
Means they have to control the roughfish population because they resuspend the process of the Bombay. 02:23:28
You excreted out. 02:23:34
And that's where the 65% is coming. 02:23:36
The analysis back in 2019 identified that half of the nutrient base into the lake. 02:23:39
Have you made any improvements with the state? 02:23:46
Or I should say breakthroughs like on They're gonna give a presentation at the annual meeting with their proposal. 02:23:49
And. 02:23:56
It'll probably be inadequate to control fish. 02:23:57
They have a presentation that we've asked them to offer to identify what they're willing to do. 02:24:08
OK. 02:24:18
Go ahead. 02:24:19
I was too busy farming so I could not attend the June 12th meeting. 02:24:21
So. 02:24:24
The only thing I have is the new local ordinance. 02:24:25
Not does not say any weight votes are not allowed. It's got weight enhancement is prohibited. 02:24:30
And they're already posted around the lake. I can pass around a copy of the sign. 02:24:36
What does that mean? 02:24:41
I've never heard that wake enhancement. 02:24:42
There's an ordinance that you cannot make. 02:24:44
Weak enhancements on the on Fox. 02:24:48
Read the ordinance. 02:24:52
I mean I don't get that. Like no wake means you drive your boat and provide no way. I don't get what a wake enhancement means. 02:24:53
Like it means the weight ball can go on the lake but they can't fill their ballast full of water to make the wake. 02:25:01
OK, so it is like for for these lake boats to not have a lake? 02:25:06
The bolt can go on. They just can't use their ballast. I think that's kind of the you can still use your boat, you just can't do 02:25:11
that, right? Is that correct? OK. 02:25:16
How do you communicate that to people? 02:25:21
We had to. 02:25:24
They had to adjust the ordinance so that. 02:25:25
I think Dodge County sheriff. I know he can enforce in Beaver Dam lake too. Wait. 02:25:28
I just got this and I get it now because it says use of ballast tank bags. What contributes? 02:25:32
It says it on the sign. 02:25:38
Thank you. 02:25:41
Can I ask you a question about me? Very much the phone. 02:25:43
In the town of Beaver Dam. 02:25:46
OK. Moving on to upcoming events, John, you got the Southern area tour. 02:25:52
Yeah. And I forgot to include in there the NACD summer tour of the National Association of Conservation Districts. 02:25:57
Is coming to Wisconsin in July. They will be in Milwaukee. 02:26:05
The actual conference runs from July 2920, fifth to the 29th. 02:26:10
You can if you're interested in going. I did not budget for any of this. 02:26:19
So I don't know if if there's gonna be money available through the county to cover your expenses if you wanna go. 02:26:25
Most of the Friday, Saturday and Sunday is. 02:26:32
Their meetings it's. 02:26:36
Logistical stuff. 02:26:38
But Monday is when they had the presentations from. 02:26:40
Amy from Dane County is gonna be there. 02:26:44
Danny Hessler from the producer LED group is gonna be there. 02:26:48
And Mary Joel Gingras, who is a county con up north, she's going to be there talking about conservation practices and then, you 02:26:53
know, have some tours going on. What's the name of the conference again to look it up? NACD summer tour. 02:27:00
National Association of Conservation Districts. 02:27:08
OK, next meeting. 02:27:13
July 28th. 02:27:15
830 everyone good? 02:27:16
Any future agenda items other than the. 02:27:21
LSID funding. 02:27:24
OK, the agenda is complete, therefore I call the meeting adjourned. 02:27:28
Thank you. 02:27:33
Thank you, John for stepping in. 02:27:36
You did a very good job. What's that? You did that very good. Thank you. 02:27:40
OK, I don't know if Larry wanted to get paid. 02:27:44
I know we stayed for just a minute ago. 02:27:47
2 seconds. Mary just left, but he was here for the whole meeting. 02:27:53
What? What motion? 02:27:59
Yeah, I know. 02:28:02
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Transcript

Event transcript
And I and I will be using this. 00:00:02
Public comments are in person, which you are here in person. 00:00:04
Public commenters, she'll address the chair. So when you talk, speak to me. It's not me, it's the position of chair is what you're 00:00:08
really talking to. 00:00:12
And then what you do? 00:00:18
If you want to read, you can. You may hand the committee your remarks in writing if you want. If you can't read them all, you may, 00:00:20
and we can put it in the record if you want. 00:00:25
The total. 00:00:32
Time that the county board has allowed is 30 minutes for public comment. So when I begin the public comment, it'll be 30 minutes 00:00:33
on the clock. 00:00:38
And then when that time runs out, we'll let the last person finish. 00:00:44
And then that portion of the meeting will be completed. 00:00:48
During public comment, when you you do not engage the supervisors, the only time a supervisor would engage is the supervisor can 00:00:51
ask a clarification question. I asked the supervisors to direct it to me, the chair and then we will. We will then ask like if you 00:00:57
say something and the supervisors don't understand, the supervisors on the committee can ask for clarification. However, the 00:01:03
supervisors do not engage. 00:01:09
The the person that is talking. 00:01:14
Public comments will be respectful and courteous. 00:01:18
And there will be no personal attacks. We're debating a subject here, so the subject of this is what it should be talked about. 00:01:22
OK. 00:01:31
So 843, so say about 9:00. 00:01:32
15, approximately starting about quarter tell we'll start. We'll stop public comment at at 9:15. 00:01:36
But before I do that, I have to do the approval of the minutes from the committee. 00:01:44
OK. 00:01:48
Do I have a motion to approve the minutes from the last meeting? John, we have a first, we have a second and a second. Any 00:01:49
discussion on the minutes from the last meeting? 00:01:53
Hearing none, Those in favor signify by saying aye. Those not in favor, OK. The minutes pass unanimously. 00:01:58
OK. 00:02:07
First person up. 00:02:08
No, you're gonna do #5 when #5 No. And I'm sorry. No, no. Yeah, it's there. I'm sorry. My fault. 00:02:09
So first person up is Greg Frederick. 00:02:15
Frederick and then John, you'll be, you'll be timing these. Yeah. 00:02:18
OK. John will be our parliamentarian for time. And so if you want to give him a little warning, John, maybe a few seconds to wrap 00:02:21
up. 00:02:25
And then? 00:02:28
And then? 00:02:30
2 minutes and then you move on. And like I said, if you don't say everything you can give us in writing, if you want that, that's 00:02:31
fine. OK, go ahead. 00:02:34
Alright, good morning. I'm here on behalf of the Rock River Flood Group. 00:02:38
My name is Greg Frederick. I'm a lifelong resident of Lebanon, landowner and. 00:02:42
And the Rock River Basin, and for the past four years, Lebanon Town chairman. I'm on here behalf of the Rock River Group. 00:02:46
Reason for this group is better management of the downstream levels of the Rock River. 00:02:52
In the tone Lebanon alone, there are 249 individual. 00:02:56
Land parcels affecting. 00:03:00
3000 acres and a total of 6000 acres being affected in normal floodplain. 00:03:02
The tone of Lebanon is ongoing costs due to. 00:03:07
Road closures, Rd. maintenance, culvert replacement Hiring of contractors to remove trees stuck in and under the High View Bridge. 00:03:10
Dodge County is Hwy. MMM bridge highway O bridges that are being undermined that. 00:03:18
Tony Harness Figure Park is affected by not being able to rent out. 00:03:23
Campsites, eroding boardwalks and canoe and paddle board docks. 00:03:26
Union Pacific Railroad bridge is also being eroded. 00:03:30
The goal we have here is spirit. 00:03:33
Water distribution among all individuals on this watershed. This group has dodged Jefferson County. 00:03:36
Village of Hughesford, Township of Houston, Lebanon, Asheville, Axonia, Houston Dam operator. 00:03:42
Wisconsin DNR, US Fish and Wildlife watercolor dam operator Tom Rice and State. 00:03:48
Representative Barbara Dietrich all at meetings at one point or another. 00:03:54
The flood crisis even has been featured on Fox 6 News. 00:03:58
There has been thousands of private dollars donated, thousands of Township dollars. How many money for? 00:04:01
The USGS gauge. 00:04:07
Big part of the project should be left up to the should not be left up to the public sector to private sector, excuse me, to fund 00:04:09
this. This is a state and county issue. 00:04:14
At no point ever has there been mentioned to drain lakes in Mississippi. We are looking for a more dreamlined way to move the 00:04:19
water downstream. 00:04:24
We have 2 1/2 years of data from this river gauge. We have engineers from UW Madison lined up. We now need the funds to put the 00:04:28
data to work for all benefit residents living on. 00:04:33
OK. 00:04:39
Hey, thank you, Mr. Frederick Joe. 00:04:42
Sharp My name is Joe Sharp and I like Sinnissippi resident town of Hustisford. Recently the Lakes in the City association, several 00:04:45
other area residents learned of the Rock River Flood Group mitigation plan. 00:04:50
Is our understanding that there will be a vote today regarding the Rock River flood groups forthcoming request for the Dodge 00:04:56
County to pay legal and consulting? 00:05:00
Incurred by the flood group. 00:05:04
In addition to the speakers presenting today, we have submitted a more comprehensive document. 00:05:06
Like to add to the public record which also includes. 00:05:10
Their drawdown requests that they did last fall without our knowledge is our collective belief that their proposed plan and the 00:05:13
request for the county funding to support this plan does not represent the lake. 00:05:19
The interest of Lake Sinnissippi area residents. Nor should private legal fees be paid by the coding. 00:05:24
Projects that are directly detrimental to Lake, Ms. the Horicon Marsh and County residents that reside in 6 plus municipalities 00:05:29
within Dodge County. 00:05:34
The flood mitigation plan seeks to keep much lower than average water levels. 00:05:38
In lakes in a sippy so that it can essentially serve as a retention pot. 00:05:42
Not only should the lake not be considered a retention pond, the Hustisford Dam, nor the Horacon dams, our flood control dams and 00:05:46
were never intended as such. 00:05:50
The current plan is biased and limited. It focuses primarily on downstream flood reduction and provides a little analysis on 00:05:54
upstream. 00:05:58
Ecological and financial consequences and impact. 00:06:02
Drawing from ecological, economic and scientific evidence. 00:06:05
As well as collective voices of affected communities, there are significant negative impacts and current proposal and viable 00:06:09
alternative. 00:06:13
Flood mitigation strategies grounded improving watershed practices exist and should be considered. 00:06:18
Rock River flood groups proposed plan benefits one group to the detriment of another and the request accounting funding should not 00:06:24
be denied and we request you review these documents in your decision making. 00:06:30
Should be to that. 00:06:36
Should be sorry, little nervous. 00:06:38
Yes, it's beautiful. My name is Tanya Lemke. I'm here to discuss issues affecting lakes in a city with the floodplain. 00:06:41
I. 00:06:49
Lake Sinnissippi resident and I own a business on Lake Santa Sippy that. 00:06:50
That needs that lake. 00:06:54
The Wisconsin Public trust doctrine is a legal principal stating that the state holds navigable waters in trust for the benefit of 00:06:55
the public. 00:06:59
Ensuring access for activities like navigation, recreation, and enjoyment of scenic beauty. This doctrine rooted in the Northwest 00:07:03
Ordinance of 1787 and the Wisconsin State Constitution. 00:07:09
Emphasizes that these waters are not privately owned, but rather belong to the public as a whole. 00:07:14
This includes the right to navigate, fish, hunt, swim, and enjoy the scenic beauty of the water. This doctrine requires the state 00:07:19
to protect the quality and habitat of these waters and ensures that public access and recreational opportunities are maintained. 00:07:26
The state has a duty to protect these public trust resources and to prevent their degradation or misuse. 00:07:33
In fact. 00:07:38
Wisconsin public trust doctrine supersedes local government actions that conflict with public trust rights. 00:07:39
The Wisconsin State Supreme Court has overturned DNR decisions that they feel have violated the rights protected other Wisconsin 00:07:45
public trust doctrine. One such case, Rock Koshkin on Lake District versus the DNR, involved Lake Koshkin on a lake similar to 00:07:51
Sinnissippi, and that is the shallow impoundment of the Rock River. 00:07:56
This case is summarized in the documents you were given. It is our position that the action suggested by the Rock River Flood 00:08:01
Group would be directly violating the rights of residents on Sinnissippi, rights which should be protected and considered under 00:08:06
the Wisconsin public trust doctrine. 00:08:10
These proposed actions will be detrimental to habitat, wildlife, the ecology of the lake, the lake's landscape, local economies, 00:08:15
and the property values of all lake residents. 00:08:19
Which directly impacts the tax basis of local municipalities surrounding the lake. That translates to impact on school district 00:08:24
funding as well. 00:08:28
Lisa Peterson. 00:08:33
Oh, wait. I mean, I'm sorry. Wait. I'm sorry, Nathan. I'm sorry, Nathan. I I apologize. Nathan. Nathan London. 00:08:40
Landon, I'm sorry. 00:08:45
My name is Nate London, I am a Lakes, Mississippi resident in the town of Houston, Perts. 00:08:47
Lake, Ms. is filling with sediment. 00:08:51
There's been talk about lowering levels to reduce flooding, but when a lake is filling with sediment, that strategy is 00:08:53
fundamentally flawed. 00:08:56
Lowering water levels in a sediment filled lake addresses a symptom, not the root cause. 00:09:00
The real problem isn't too much water, it's too little space for the water to go. 00:09:05
Sedimentation reduces a lake storage capacity overtime, meaning it holds less water during storms or seasonal run. 00:09:09
Lowering water levels may appear to createspace, but it does not address the real issue, the shrinking volume caused by sediment 00:09:16
accumulation. 00:09:20
It's like digging A shallow hole and trying to capture a whole rainstorm. There's just nowhere for the water to go. 00:09:24
Moreover, frequent drawdowns can harm the lake's ecology and accelerate shoreline erosion. 00:09:30
Exposed shorelines are more vulnerable, vulnerable to wind and wave action, which breaks down banks and sends even more sediment 00:09:35
into the lake. 00:09:39
This becomes a vicious cycle. More sediment, less volume, more flooding. 00:09:43
True flood mitigation and sentiment impacted lakes must focus on sediment management. This means implementing upstream erosion 00:09:48
controls, restoring vegetation buffers. 00:09:54
And in some cases, dredging to restore lost death. 00:09:59
There are long term strategies that increase water holding capacity. 00:10:02
And improve resilience, not short term fixes that match the problem. 00:10:06
Repeatedly lowering water levels can make things worse. It can accelerate erosion along the shoreline, which adds even more 00:10:11
sediment into the system. The result? A shallower lake with even less storage capacity and even higher flood risk during storms 00:10:15
downstream. 00:10:20
The only lasting solution is to address sedimentation itself. 00:10:25
That means reducing upstream erosion, restoring wetlands and possibly dredging areas where sediment buildup is severe. 00:10:29
These strategies protect both the lake health and the communities that depend on it. Let's focus on long term science based 00:10:35
solutions that treat the cause, not the symptoms. 00:10:39
I urge the County Board not to fund projects that are detrimental to the majority for the benefit of the few, especially for 00:10:44
plans. 00:10:47
Lisa, go ahead. Lisa. Good morning. My name is Lisa Peterson. I'm a real estate attorney and a 20 year resident lakes in 00:10:54
Mississippi. 00:10:58
As you've already heard from Tanya, the state of Wisconsin holds the bed of all lakes and trust for the benefit of the public. 00:11:01
Well, it's the state's duty to ensure that the lakes remain open to the public. 00:11:06
It is the county's responsibility to make sure that all of its citizens are equally represented when it comes to issues of this 00:11:10
nature. 00:11:14
I'm here to register in opposition of the funding requested by the Rock River Flood Group, and I hope the county takes into 00:11:17
consideration that the Rock River Flood Group is comprised of a few land owners. 00:11:21
Who have, as I understand it, not taking any means on their own to protect their adjacent river properties. 00:11:26
Their proposal will not stop the flooding and it will not make their land buildable. 00:11:32
Meanwhile, the residents of over 600 homes on the lake have gone above and beyond their part in maintaining their shoreline at 00:11:36
their own expense. 00:11:39
Which has been devastatingly eroded by low lake lovers levels. 00:11:43
Lowering the lake will only further endanger not only our shorelines but our ecosystems and the reasons most of us moved out here, 00:11:47
which was the peace and solitude of the lake. 00:11:51
Furthermore, it will serve to lower the property values in our county, which will also have a devastating impact on the county and 00:11:55
the county's tax base. 00:11:59
I'm urging you not to use our tax dollars for the benefit of a few land owners and to the detriment of over 600 homes and families 00:12:02
on the lake. 00:12:07
These land owners should be required to demonstrate that they have taken steps to shore up their shoreline rather than continually 00:12:11
seeking taxpayer money to protect their private land. 00:12:15
Furthermore, if the county is going to spend any county money, it should be on dredging like the protection of all, not 00:12:19
appropriating 10s of thousands of dollars for the benefit of a few. 00:12:24
Again, I respectfully urge you to assist the DNR in maintaining the lake for the benefit of the public under Wisconsin's public 00:12:28
choice doctrine, as well as protecting the rights of the majority of your voting citizens who stand before you today in great 00:12:34
numbers opposing the use of our taxpayer dollars to benefit a few land owners for the Dutchman of the greater population. 00:12:40
Bruce. Bruce Wadman, please. 00:12:50
Good morning. 00:12:55
My name is Bruce Wadden and I am a Lake Santa Sippy resident in the town of Eustisford. 00:12:56
According to Dodge County records, there are 740 properties within the Lake Sanitity Improvement District. 00:13:01
These properties have a total assessed value of $141,150,300. 00:13:08
Lowering lake Ms. in the summer would dramatically reduce the value of these lakefront properties. 00:13:15
When water levels drop, homeowners are left with mud flats. 00:13:21
Weed filled shallows and unusable docks. 00:13:25
The Wisconsin Realtors Association notes that homes on impaired lakes can lose 10 to 30% of their value. 00:13:29
That's a devastating loss for families around the town of Eustisford. 00:13:37
Hubbard, Juno or Con. 00:13:41
Oak Grove and within the village of Eustisford. 00:13:44
For many, this is their their home is their primary investment. 00:13:47
These losses ripple out the tax to affect tax revenues in school district funding. 00:13:52
Using the $140 million plus figure. 00:13:58
A 15% reduction equates to a 21,172,000. 00:14:01
$545 loss in property values. 00:14:07
An enormous blow for the local tax rolls. 00:14:11
These aren't theoretical numbers. 00:14:14
When a modest 2 inch drawdown occurred in Lake Hoskin. 00:14:16
It led to a significant reduction in home values. 00:14:20
In a letter to the DNR, the Lake Koskinen Lake District notes annual property tax revenue losses. 00:14:24
Between 116,948 dollars. 00:14:30
And $550,318. 00:14:34
Due to reduced water levels. 00:14:38
15 Well these deals, while this deals with tax impacts, it reflects broader economic harm to the Lakeside business district. 00:14:41
I request that the county deny funding. 00:14:50
For a project that is clearly detrimental to Lake Cinemas. 00:14:53
Thank you. Yes, thank you, Bruce. 00:14:57
Phil, Bill, please. 00:15:00
Bill. 00:15:05
Retired president of the College Rift Systems and I live on Lake, Ms. 00:15:08
Health and vitality of leaks in Mississippi effectively impacts local businesses and tourism. 00:15:12
Even a conservative 20% reduction in business could cost hundreds of thousands dollars annually. 00:15:17
Play Kashkoman. 00:15:22
Again, Officer, Cautionary tale. 00:15:23
The water levels dropped. Local businesses report 50 to 20% decline in summer revenues. 00:15:25
Two businesses located on Lake Ms. rely heavily on the lake for their success, just as local residents rely on those businesses 00:15:31
for services. 00:15:35
High school Marine located north of the lake. Ms. where the river beats the lake is located on already shallow section of that 00:15:40
lake. 00:15:43
And it's filling with cinnamon. 00:15:47
During times of low water, this business is virtually inaccessible at water. 00:15:49
Local residents and those in the surrounding communities rely on Oxford. 00:15:53
Service, maintenance and cold storage. 00:15:57
Furthermore, Oxford Marine also has multiple service purchase agreements with the state of Wisconsin, the USDA, the federal 00:16:00
government, and the DNR. 00:16:04
Please seem to be to be Lake Sinnissippi Lake Pub. 00:16:08
I'm looking on the east shore. 00:16:11
Mississippi relies on lake access 12 months of the year. 00:16:13
Summer months, the pub offers boat docks for patrons and allows the public access to the lake via their private pool at launch. 00:16:17
Hub is also on the ATV and state snowmobile trail systems. 00:16:24
But they could scroll into the pub allows access to the frozen lake via the private. 00:16:28
The private pool furthermore. 00:16:33
Automobile. Motorbike. 00:16:36
Ice racing has long been a standing tradition in tracking local and international. 00:16:37
Yes, international. 00:16:43
Visitors, for that reason, expect. 00:16:45
Bring an influx of outside dollars into the local economy. 00:16:47
Or sleep levels would make action. 00:16:51
These businesses rely on links in the budget area. Residents rely on these businesses. 00:16:56
Urge you not to fund this project for the benefit of you. 00:17:00
Mark. 00:17:05
Hey, Mark. 00:17:08
Right, Mark, my name is Mark Hartman. I'm a resident on the lake and I want to talk to some additional economic impact. 00:17:10
Both the village of Hustisford and the city of Horicon can be accessed by the Rock River system at Sinnissippi Lake. 00:17:17
And all, all the downtown businesses aren't directly on the waterfront. They're a short walk away. And people use that that system 00:17:24
all the time to access those businesses. 00:17:28
Some of those activities that people access Venetian night. 00:17:36
Activities at the Heathersford Community Hall. There's the 4th of July fireworks. Huge phase. 00:17:40
The wine walk and uses for all those activities are accessed by our accessible. 00:17:46
By the waterfront. 00:17:50
Nieder Park in Hustisford, the Lake Sinnissippi Association raised funds and wrote and were successful in being granted funds for. 00:17:52
Additional improvements, including a kayak access. 00:18:01
And that launches in a very shallow part of the lake. If the level drops, that public boat launch might not even be usable. 00:18:05
And then the river, A lot of people use the river itself to to go back and forth between Horacon and Sinnissippi. 00:18:14
You go up there on a Sunday afternoon and it's a regular pontoon parade. 00:18:21
And then let's talk about Horacon Marsh itself. Horican Marsh is a crown jewel of Wisconsin. 00:18:25
It's the largest freshwater. 00:18:32
Body of water in the United States and I was even shocked to find out that over 500,000 people a year come to visit the marsh. 00:18:34
For for things like bird watching, kayaking, hiking. 00:18:41
Water following. There's public boat tours. 00:18:45
The list goes on and on, and it's estimated by the Fish and Wildlife Service that $15 million annually. 00:18:48
Is spent on wetland ecotourism. 00:18:55
I'm asking you please do not fund this selfish and I'll conceit plan. 00:19:00
Thanks. Is that Mark? 00:19:08
You know, microphone keeps cutting out, keep talking and staying closer to the microphone. 00:19:12
My name is Richard Cruel. I'm a retired Circuit Court judge. 00:19:19
And been on the lake since 1988. 00:19:23
Water levels play a critical role in shaping shoreline dynamics. 00:19:26
And influencing erosion processes. 00:19:31
When water levels fall significantly, whether due to drought. 00:19:34
DAM operations. 00:19:38
Groundwater depletion. 00:19:40
Climate change or other human intervention? 00:19:42
The physical and ecological characteristics. 00:19:46
Of the shorelines can change dramatically. 00:19:50
These changes can lead to increased erosion. 00:19:53
Habitat degradation. 00:19:57
And economic losses. 00:20:00
Lake suit Mississippi has. 00:20:02
24.5. 00:20:04
Miles of developed. 00:20:07
Shoreline this last winter. 00:20:08
The shoreline had extensive damage. 00:20:11
And if. 00:20:14
The Shoreline. 00:20:16
Have been reduced. 00:20:17
As they ask for. 00:20:19
The damage could have been and probably was. 00:20:20
Would be significantly greater. 00:20:25
If just 5% of the shoreline. 00:20:28
He is damaged. 00:20:31
About 6400. 00:20:33
And 48 feet. 00:20:35
It would require restoration. 00:20:38
And the residents and municipalities. 00:20:40
Would face a significant financial burden. 00:20:43
Stabilizing shoreline. 00:20:47
Costs 250 to 400 a lineal foot. 00:20:50
If you translate that. 00:20:54
It's 1.6 million on the low end. 00:20:56
2.6 million. 00:21:00
On the high end. 00:21:02
And these figures don't even include. 00:21:04
Sea wall repair or ecological? 00:21:07
Restoration. 00:21:10
The funds asked for in this matter. 00:21:12
Simply do not. 00:21:15
Meet the criteria. 00:21:17
Of a public purpose. Times up. OK change. 00:21:19
My name is Shane Kemmer, I'm a lifelong Lake, Ms. resident in the town of Hustisford. 00:21:29
Contrary to the assumption that lower water levels reduce erosion by exposing more land. 00:21:34
They can exacerbate erosion. As water levels drop, previously submerged sediment becomes exposed and vulnerable to wind, rainfall, 00:21:39
and freeze and thaw cycles, which weaken soil cohesion. 00:21:44
And make shorelines more susceptible to erosion. 00:21:49
Vegetation acts as a natural buffer against erosion by stabilizing soils with root systems and absorbing wave energy. 00:21:52
However, sudden or prolonged reductions in lake water levels can result in the die off of aquatic and semi aquatic plants. 00:21:59
The loss of vegetation weakened shoreline integrity and accelerates erosion. 00:22:06
Process. 00:22:10
Progress. 00:22:11
Shorelines along lakes and reservoirs are particularly vulnerable. Fluctuating water levels associated with dam operations or 00:22:12
climate vulnerability can create bathtubing. 00:22:17
Ring zones areas of exposed shoreline with little to no plant life, leaving the land bare and easily erodible. 00:22:22
With compounding sediment filling in. 00:22:29
In reservoirs, drawdowns can cause shoreline slumping, especially in areas with loosely consolidated sediments. 00:22:32
The Sun Geomorphic changes can threaten infrastructure such as docks, roads and buildings near the water's edge. 00:22:38
Moreover, the lack of water flow in some areas can lead to sentiment. 00:22:45
Deposits and unusual locations. 00:22:49
Altering the natural sediment balance and increasing localized erosion elsewhere. 00:22:51
This unbalanced sediment transport cycle can have long term effects on the stability and shape of the shoreline. 00:22:56
Low water levels have significant and unprecedented effects on shoreline erosion that can have long lasting consequences for the 00:23:01
ecosystem. 00:23:05
And human infrastructure. So I urge the county not to fund a project that is so detrimental to many. 00:23:09
15. 00:23:15
Rob is Rob. The next one up was says Rob Montgomery is here, Rob. 00:23:16
Rob, you're up. 00:23:22
Hello, my name is Rob Montgomery. I've been working with a couple property owners and now the. 00:23:30
Downstream of Hustisford looking at this flooding issue. I've talked to you guys a couple times. 00:23:36
In the last few years I have a one pager here. 00:23:42
That I'll give to John. 00:23:45
The clerk? The county clerk, I guess. 00:23:47
OK, fine. Thank you. 00:23:50
So in quick summary. 00:23:53
What we're proposing and what we're working on now. 00:23:56
Funded by the towns and wanting to continue in the 2026 is a study. It is not a proposal for any particular action. 00:23:59
The work that we did last year that has created the concern amongst the folks on Sinnissippi. 00:24:07
Was an experiment to collect data on water level drop and water level rise. It was conducted within the operating orders. 00:24:13
Think. Truth be told, it would have been good if we had communicated more with the folks on Cena City. 00:24:21
However, however, I want to emphasize that this was a data collection exercise. It was not a proposal. 00:24:30
We don't have the authority. 00:24:36
To change water levels. 00:24:38
That's a DNR matter and it's a big extensive process to change water levels for any regulated water body, at any rate, what our 00:24:40
proposal amounts to. 00:24:45
Is continued study. We've recruited help from the University of Wisconsin Madison. 00:24:49
And the idea is to look at. 00:24:54
What? 00:24:57
The there has been, I think it's obvious from the information that we've supplied, there has been increasing flooding both in 00:24:59
duration and in the amount of water. 00:25:03
OK, why? 00:25:08
Well, there's been increasing rainfall, but maybe there's other watershed processes and what's going on in the future. 00:25:10
To look at what's going. 00:25:16
15 OK. 00:25:18
So we're we're going to look at what's going on and then possibly what we can do about it in a conceptual way and report back. 00:25:19
For further action to be developed if it makes sense. 00:25:27
Thank you. 00:25:31
Hey, Tim. 00:25:32
Good morning. My name is Tim Cargill. 00:25:43
I'm a liaison for the Town of Lebanon Rock River Working Group. 00:25:47
Which is comprised of town of Lebanon, Town of Exonia. 00:25:51
Town of Ashland. Town of Hustisford. 00:25:55
Village of Hustisford. 00:25:58
UW Madison faculty and staff. 00:26:00
US Fish and Wildlife have participated in the Wisconsin DNR. 00:26:03
I am asking that you consider funding to continue the research as it relates to the Rock River watershed. 00:26:08
And the increased flooding covering nearly 6000 acres of Dodge County. 00:26:13
Land affecting. 00:26:17
Hundreds and hundreds of landowner style stream. 00:26:19
Flooding water quality. 00:26:22
Ecosystem impact is all getting worse for everyone in the watershed. 00:26:25
Including. 00:26:29
The lakes in Mississippi. Fox. 00:26:30
This problem will not go away. 00:26:32
And we hope to continue our effort to work together towards improvements that work for everyone. 00:26:34
It sounds like sinnissippi has silt problems, which I'm hearing about. 00:26:38
And we have flooding problems. I actually would. 00:26:43
Listen to all this. 00:26:46
Proposed that we would work together possibly. 00:26:48
To help solve these problems in the watershed. 00:26:51
Thank you. 00:26:54
Jim Rush. 00:26:57
Sakshi, I'm sorry. 00:26:59
Talk about the impacts of this last winter's drawdown or. 00:27:03
The water levels in the lake. 00:27:09
So I've been coming to the lake for over 50 years. 00:27:15
And here you can see a photo of my shoreline. 00:27:19
What we experienced was that with the lake being about a foot lower than it normally is even. 00:27:22
Even more than that, like 15 inches over the winter. 00:27:27
With the lower water you get lower ice. 00:27:30
And the ice was able to undermine our shorelines. 00:27:33
And heave up our rocks. And not only did it destroy the shoreline, it also destroyed the silt fabric that was protecting. 00:27:37
From erosion. 00:27:44
And then over. 00:27:47
This one I get. 00:27:49
On the week of January 12th, you can see that the rocks had continued to push up on the shore. 00:27:52
And rose up about 5 feet along the above the top of our shoreline. 00:27:58
And this was starting to attack. 00:28:04
Our electrical systems. 00:28:06
That were. 00:28:08
There and I had to immediately go in with my pickaxe and if I had not been a resident. 00:28:11
This would have destroyed all of those. 00:28:15
The power data. 00:28:18
And lighting fixtures that I had at the shoreline. So I immediately went in with my pickaxe and started attacking it and I noticed 00:28:20
there were a lot of other neighbors of ours. 00:28:24
That had similar. 00:28:28
Damage from the low water level over the winter. 00:28:30
Which made the ice lower. 00:28:33
Heating up on the shoreline. 00:28:36
And creating lots of property destruction. 00:28:38
Many of our neighbors had similar issues. 00:28:41
And so then we rebuilt the shoreline ourselves. 00:28:43
Spent thousands and thousands of dollars ourselves, not a contractor, just on materials alone. 00:28:46
And we hope we never have to have low water. 00:28:55
Creating low ice heaving on the shorelines again. 00:28:58
Because it was absolutely a disaster and we asked you not to fund this particular time strategy. 00:29:02
Jenny, Jenny. 00:29:08
Said Jenny. 00:29:11
Hello. 00:29:15
I am Doctor Jennifer Blossom Wildlife at the a veterinarian at the Wildlife and Need Center, and I majored in wildlife ecology. I 00:29:16
am a Lake Ms. resident. 00:29:20
Low water level, and I'm going to speak on low water levels on lake fisheries and wildlife. 00:29:25
Low water levels have a detrimental impact on lake fisheries and wildlife. Low water levels reduce the amount of available habitat 00:29:29
for fish. 00:29:33
Especially in near shore areas where many species fawn spawn and feed. 00:29:37
When these shallow areas zones dry out, critical breeding grounds are lost, leading to decreased reproduction and survival rates. 00:29:42
In addition, lower water levels lead to higher water temperatures and reduced. 00:29:47
Dissolved oxygen, changes in water levels and temperature dramatically alter fish behavior, distribution, and overall 00:29:52
productivity. 00:29:56
Low water isolates fish in shallow pools, increasing their vulnerability to predators and disease. 00:30:00
These changes stress fish populations, especially cold water sports species such as walleye and northern Pike. 00:30:05
Prolonged exposure to these stress conditions can cause fish kills and long term declines in population health. 00:30:12
Additionally, drawdowns disrupt overwintering for turtles, frogs, and aquatic insects, impacting predator prey relationships and 00:30:18
the ecosystem balance as a whole. 00:30:23
The LSALSID and the Rock River Rescue have paid 10s of thousands of dollars in the last few years alone to stock the lake and 00:30:28
river with a variety of fish. 00:30:32
Concerted efforts are ongoing to restore and improve the fisheries of Lake Ms. and its rivers. 00:30:37
Any program to lower the lake levels undermines these efforts. 00:30:43
With the lowered lake levels, fishing opportunities also decrease, which directly affect local tourism and the local economy. 00:30:47
Fisheries depend on stable water levels to. 00:30:54
To sustain their delicate ecological balance. Addressing this requires collaboration, water water management strategies to protect 00:30:57
the fish and lake wildlife habitats. I urge Dodge County not to fund projects. 00:31:03
That are detrimental to the Fish and Wildlife of lakes Mississippi. Thank you. 00:31:10
Go in. 00:31:14
Joanne, you will be the last speaker today. 00:31:18
You will be the last speaker today. 00:31:21
Hi, my name is Joanne Matthews and I've lived on Mexico, Mississippi for nine years. I'm a master naturalist and teach classes at 00:31:24
the Horcon Marsh. 00:31:28
Water is a critical component of ecosystems, influencing both the structure and function of natural habitat. 00:31:33
In recent decades, low level water levels have increasingly posed a threat to aquatic and terrestrial environments. 00:31:40
The consequences of these reduced water levels are far reaching, affecting biodiversity, ecological processes and the 00:31:46
sustainability of natural systems. 00:31:51
Low water levels directly affect aquatic habitats by reducing available space and altering water temperature and chemistry. 00:31:57
As water volumes decrease, water temperatures often rise, reducing oxygen levels and creating creating stressful or lethal 00:32:04
conditions in many aquatic species. 00:32:10
Fish populations, particularly those sensitive to temperature changes. 00:32:16
Or with specific spawning requirements may decline or shift geographically. 00:32:20
Wetlands are especially vulnerable and as we as they depend on stable water levels. 00:32:24
To maintain their unique Quora and fauna. 00:32:30
When water levels fall, wetland degrees may shrink or dry out completely, leading to the loss of habitat. 00:32:33
Changes in hydrology can disrupt breeding cycles and reduce the availability of food sources, threatening the survival of many 00:32:39
species. 00:32:43
Riparian areas depend on water inundation for nutrient cycling and vegetation growth. Reduce water flow can lead to the 00:32:48
approachment of invasive species and a decline in native plant communities. 00:32:55
Persistent low water levels may lead to ecosystem collapse. 00:33:01
Biodiversity loss. 00:33:06
Reduced water quality and altered ecosystem services can have cascading effects on human communities that depend on these 00:33:07
resources. 00:33:12
I respectfully urge the county not to fund a project that is so detrimental to so many. 00:33:17
Thank you. 00:33:23
That can. That concludes the public comment. 00:33:27
The committee will be moving on to item number 5. That's a point of a temporary chair. 00:33:30
Robert's Rules of Orders requires the chair, which I am the chair of this committee, to relinquish the position of chair if he is 00:33:35
going to advocate on an issue. 00:33:38
Today, if this issue is debated, I think it is my duty to the people I serve to argue for position regarding the agenda item 00:33:43
number six about the Rock River Flood Group's request for funding. 00:33:48
I'm appointing a temporary chair. 00:33:54
Normally. 00:33:56
According to Roberts Rules of Order, I would appoint the vice chair. 00:33:57
Who is? But the vice chair has taken a position in the last meeting, so I'm going to the next person line, which is a secretary, 00:34:01
John Krause. 00:34:05
So I'm gonna point John Krause to be the chair of the next item. 00:34:09
And what will happen is unless there is objection or if there's a nomination. So if the committee does not have an objection. 00:34:12
John will become the chair, effective now. 00:34:19
Hearing none. 00:34:22
John. 00:34:23
OK. Thank you. 00:34:25
All right, we'll move on to item number six, the Rock River Flood Group request for funding. 00:34:26
I just want to remind everyone in the crowd that this is a committee discussion only, so please no outside comments from the 00:34:31
floor. I really appreciate your respect and that request in advance. 00:34:36
This is a carryover from last month's meeting. It was requested that we we we tabled it as a committee to get. 00:34:42
Kim Kim's opinion Our court council. 00:34:48
On this request, so I'll turn it over to Kim and she can. 00:34:51
Phyllis sent on what she thinks that Coney's position is. 00:34:55
So good morning. Thank you. 00:34:58
I'm not sure if this mic is on so can everyone hear great. 00:35:00
So I understand at the last meeting there was some discussion, the May meeting there was discussion about. 00:35:06
My opinion with regard to the request for funding. 00:35:12
And you asked me to come back to explain my opinion. 00:35:15
And I will do that today. 00:35:18
I don't know how much information was shared at the last meeting, so I apologize if this is repetitive, but I'm going to. 00:35:21
Go through the the comments that I provided to the chair. 00:35:27
For the last meeting. 00:35:31
And, umm. 00:35:32
The comments as well as my analysis of the request. 00:35:34
So first of all, I just want to point out that any request for county funding really does need to meet the public purpose 00:35:37
doctrine. And the public purpose doctrine is embedded in the Wisconsin Constitution. And what that public purpose doctrine says is 00:35:42
that. 00:35:46
Request for county funding. 00:35:52
Or funding by county resources. 00:35:54
Needs to. 00:35:57
Benefit the public as a whole. 00:35:58
And directly and tangibly benefit the public as a whole. 00:36:01
It can't be you're giving funds for. 00:36:06
Generally a public. 00:36:10
Purpose that benefits a few. 00:36:12
Directly or indirectly? 00:36:16
So that is the general rule regarding the public purpose doctrine. 00:36:18
I reviewed the Montgomery Associates request. I'm sure you all have it available to you. I think it was in the meeting packet. 00:36:22
I've gone through that request for funding. 00:36:29
And I just want to highlight a couple of things that. 00:36:32
Brought me to my conclusion, which is that there is no public purpose for the funding of the request. 00:36:35
First of all, the the request itself specifically says that it is a request from Montgomery Montgomery Associates. 00:36:42
Working on behalf of Steve Folkman and Tim Cargo. 00:36:51
Both residents of the town of Lebanon. 00:36:55
Today I learned and this was indirectly and I don't have any. 00:36:58
Any documentation to support this but? 00:37:02
It I learned today that perhaps this was a Town of Lebanon request. 00:37:05
Again, I reviewed this Montgomery Associates letter. 00:37:09
And I don't see anywhere in here that this is a Town of Lebanon request. They may be the Town of Lebanon representatives may be a 00:37:12
part of this Rock River working group. 00:37:16
But it is not a direct request from the town of Lebanon. 00:37:21
Again, I went through the the. 00:37:24
Montgomery Associates. May 15th letter to John Bohannick. 00:37:28
And there are a number of areas that talk about. 00:37:32
Gate operation Effectiveness of gate operations mitigating spring peak discharge of the river. 00:37:35
All of the things that. 00:37:43
Typically are not something that the Land and Water Conservation committee. 00:37:45
Or the Land and Water Conservation Department engage in. 00:37:49
As you probably all know, Chapter 92 does govern. 00:37:53
The operations of the Land and Water Conservation Committee, and that is this committee. That's just the name that's given to it 00:37:56
in statute. 00:38:00
As well as the operations and functions of the department. 00:38:03
There are a number of things in that chapter. 00:38:07
That talk about and I printed out a copy of the statute itself. There are a number of things that talk about what the function of 00:38:10
functions of the committee. 00:38:14
And the functions of the department are. 00:38:19
And for lack of a better. 00:38:21
I guess I should say, in the interest of time, I'm just going to summarize in general what the functions of the committee and the 00:38:25
departments are. 00:38:28
One of the things I want to point out to you is that. 00:38:31
Land and water conservation. 00:38:35
Is governed by the state agency, which is dat cap. 00:38:37
Department of Vague Trade and Consumer Protection. 00:38:41
NASA DNR. 00:38:44
So Dadcap has the oversight for the functions of the committee as well as the functions of the department. 00:38:45
I want to point out again that. 00:38:52
92 really does govern all of the things that. 00:38:55
Need to be covered by land and water conservation. 00:38:59
So the committee, in summary fashion, as well as the department, may encourage research and educational and informational and 00:39:02
public service programs. 00:39:07
No public service programs. 00:39:11
May provide for preventative and control measures and works of improvement. 00:39:13
May cooperate with an agency, any agency, governmental or otherwise, in carrying out conservation efforts. 00:39:17
May make available agricultural. 00:39:24
Or engineering machinery and equipment and other supplies to assist in those conservation efforts with regard to soil resources. 00:39:26
And for the benefit of the public. 00:39:34
Also prevention and control of soil erosion. 00:39:37
Flood prevention. 00:39:41
And for conservation and utilization of water resources or for the prevention of non poor. 00:39:42
Source water pollution. 00:39:48
All of which duties are to be carried out under the auspices of an approved land and water conservation. 00:39:50
Land and water resource management plan. 00:39:55
I am aware the department has and. 00:39:58
Recently received a contract with Datcap, the five year contract. 00:40:01
That land and water resource management plan also has to be submitted and approved. 00:40:06
By Dabcap and that was done. 00:40:11
One of the things that the statute does not encompass or entail. 00:40:14
Are things like, and I shouldn't say one of the things, many of the things that are pointed out in the Montgomery associate 00:40:18
letter? 00:40:21
Things like the word damned does not appear anywhere in chapter 92. 00:40:25
The word. 00:40:30
Department of Natural Resources. The words of Department of Natural Resources does not appear anywhere in that chapter. 00:40:32
Wetland does not appear anywhere in that chapter. 00:40:38
From what I understand, and I'm going to go back to the letter. 00:40:41
Because I think it's important to point out a few things as though the request for funding. 00:40:45
Entails. 00:40:49
Again. 00:40:50
Is from Montgomery Associates and there is a table in the letter about future activities. 00:40:52
Coordinate and direct working group meetings. There is a 2025 cost and a 2026 cost. 00:40:58
Advise and direct UW Madison staff on climatology issues. 00:41:05
There's a cost, again, for both 25 and 26. 00:41:09
Advise Review technical work and direct UW Madison staff on reservoir operation. 00:41:12
Hydraulic issues. 00:41:18
Cost for both 25 and 26. 00:41:20
Support consideration of restored watershed flood storage. 00:41:23
Both costs for 25 and 26. 00:41:28
And then support new coordinated gate operation. 00:41:31
Operating order. 00:41:34
The total cost for 25 is $10,200. The total cost for 26 is 14. 00:41:37
$1300. 00:41:43
Of those lists. 00:41:47
Of those lists of activities or of that list of activities? 00:41:48
I can tell you, based on what my research tells me and what the statute says and the public purpose doctrine, the only area that I 00:41:52
can see that Land and Water Conservation Department and the committee could be involved in would be anything with respect to 00:41:58
supporting consideration of restored watershed flood storage. 00:42:03
Nothing else in that list of activities really applies. 00:42:10
And um. 00:42:13
Is something that I can point to in chapter 92 that would be. 00:42:15
Of support for funding the activities. 00:42:19
Now I want to make a couple of other comments to the committee. 00:42:22
Regarding other requests for funding that the county has had. 00:42:25
And I think this will be important for. 00:42:29
The supervisors on this committee, as well As for. 00:42:32
Non supervisors that have had some experience with regard to requesting county funding. 00:42:35
There is a rule aside from the public purpose doctrine, but there is a rule with regard to. 00:42:40
What? The county board and thus the committees. 00:42:47
Are able to authorize in terms of funding. 00:42:50
And what it's called the administrative home rule. 00:42:52
And one of the things about the administrative home rule and this has been. 00:42:55
A long standing debate and analysis about that rule. 00:42:59
But for county to fund things? 00:43:02
It has to be. 00:43:04
The administrative home rule says that counties. 00:43:06
Have the authority to fund things. 00:43:09
Fund activities and fund projects and fund other things. 00:43:12
With regard to as long as it's explicitly provided in the statute. 00:43:17
Or necessarily implied. 00:43:21
Now some of you may remember I. 00:43:24
And if you weren't on the Human Services and Health Board? 00:43:26
The Human Services and Health Board does get requests for grant funding. 00:43:29
From umm. 00:43:33
Nonprofit organizations on an annual basis and that that funding request goes through a public hearing. 00:43:34
In front of the board. 00:43:42
And one of the things that needs to be done in terms of funding these nonprofit organizations. 00:43:44
Is a review of the statute and particularly it's 5953 of the statute. 00:43:50
If that. 00:43:55
Type of activity that is being proposed to be funded is not specifically called out as an activity that the county can do. 00:43:56
Or a service that the county can provide within that section of the statute it is not funded. 00:44:04
And I will tell you that on each time a a nonprofit comes before the Human Services and Health Board and then ultimately does get 00:44:10
in the county budget. 00:44:14
If it's approved. 00:44:19
And if it can meet some criteria in the statute. 00:44:21
There is an agreement. 00:44:24
And there's measurable outcomes for the use of that funding. 00:44:26
And if it is not approved because it is not specifically a program or service that can be provided by the county department. 00:44:29
Then it is not approved. 00:44:36
And I'm going to bring this topic up in regard to the ARPA funding that all of the supervisors and I know. 00:44:38
Mr. Foley is aware of. 00:44:44
This analysis regarding the public purpose doctrine was also undertaken with regard to the ARPA funding. 00:44:46
You remember that? The county? 00:44:52
Received about $17 million of ARPA funding and in the first round of or the first tranche of that funding that was given to the 00:44:53
county. 00:44:57
The county put together an ARPA committee. 00:45:02
And that ARPA committee analyzed over 76 proposals to fund their projects. 00:45:04
And ultimately did fund several. 00:45:11
Towns, villages and cities with regard to ARPA funding and some of the things that they wanted those town cities and villages and 00:45:14
nonprofits, or I should say there was a. 00:45:19
The uh. 00:45:25
I'm going to get it wrong. And so I'm looking at Bill, but it's a it was a late improvement. 00:45:26
Breaks pay like improvement yes Rakes Bay lake improvement so did fund other than county. 00:45:32
I'm sorry, other than municipal? 00:45:38
Projects. 00:45:41
So that ARPA committee went through the analysis and determined. 00:45:42
Whether or not there was a public purpose to be achieved by the request for funding and then did ultimately grant various funds, 00:45:46
ARPA funds to the city's villages and the improvement. 00:45:52
District umm. 00:45:58
I will tell you, Rakes Bay, I'm going to point out, was one of the analysis that had to be done with regard to whether or not the 00:46:00
public purpose doctrine applied because it was for purposes of installing certain devices in the lake. 00:46:06
Particularly Rakes. 00:46:13
And as I looked at that project or as that, as I looked at that request. 00:46:15
As somebody did mention during public comment. 00:46:21
The waters of the state of Wisconsin fall into the public trust doctrine, and that doctrine says that. 00:46:24
The the waters need to be held in trust for the benefit of all the public. 00:46:32
It was on that basis that the Riggs Bay project was funded because it did meet the public purpose doctrine. It was for the good of 00:46:36
all of the county and all of those that wanted to access Beaver Dam Lake. 00:46:42
So that project was funded. 00:46:48
Again, I'm going to go back to my original opinion which I gave to you back in fall of last year and I gave. 00:46:50
Not in person, but at the May meeting. I do not think that the funding request here. 00:46:58
As it stands and as I review. 00:47:03
The request of the Montgomery and Associates. 00:47:06
Dated May 15th. 00:47:10
Qualifies under the public purpose doctrine. 00:47:14
I'm not going to tell Montgomery and associates, and I know Godfrey and Khan is working for them and they've given a legal opinion 00:47:17
which is contrary to what I'm telling you today. 00:47:22
I will remind you that Godfrey and Khan is working with Montgomery, Montgomery and associates and of course. 00:47:26
Their legal opinion is going to be something that would support. 00:47:32
The proposal for funding? 00:47:36
But I am giving you the opinion today and I would just reiterate that I don't think. 00:47:38
Except for the very limited request for support with regard to our consideration with regard to. 00:47:43
The funding for the watershed. This really is a watershed issue. 00:47:51
So the Land and Water Conservation Department, to the extent that it has information or resources available to it. 00:47:56
To assist with regard to watershed study, that's certainly appropriate, but everything else in the requested request for funding. 00:48:05
I don't think the county is authorized to support. 00:48:13
So my opinion hasn't changed since last year. My opinion hasn't changed since. 00:48:17
The last meeting. 00:48:22
And again, I'm not going to. 00:48:24
Stand in front of the committee to. 00:48:27
Perhaps tell the Rock River Group how to reframe their request for funding. 00:48:30
But as it stands right now, I don't think that it can be supported by the county. 00:48:35
OK. Thank you, Kim, if it's right with the committee? 00:48:41
Can we let? I was gonna ask John what his position was and then we could open it all up for discussion. Or would you rather 00:48:43
address individually? I would rather address this 'cause mine relates to that. Go ahead. Supervisor Dir. 00:48:47
So I'm supervisor. 00:48:54
My name is Lisa Durr and I've listened to all of your comments and I agree with them. 00:48:57
Assuming that there is a proposed drawdown with the lake, I agree with everything you've said. 00:49:02
One of the things you've also said and that I recognize is that management of lakes, rivers. 00:49:08
Is of great public interest. That's exactly what one of you said. It's a great public interest to hundreds of people. 00:49:13
Not just two land owners. Hundreds of people living in the lake as a residence, as a retirement, as an agricultural owner. 00:49:20
Flooding effects them all. 00:49:30
At the prior meeting, our Corp Council did give this similar opinion. 00:49:32
And she specifically said. 00:49:37
That she could not support this funding or that you know? 00:49:39
She could not support that it met the purpose of the statute because the money was going to a private source, private funding, and 00:49:44
those were her words exactly. 00:49:49
And I wrote them down. 00:49:53
She's also referring to a memo on the 15th. 00:49:55
And I believe she has a copy of this but I'm not sure because I've been on vacation for a long time and I just came back and was 00:49:58
completely stunned by all this. 00:50:02
But the opinion by an environmental attorney. 00:50:06
By the way, I'm an attorney too. We don't actually do whatever our clients want. OK, that's an unethical person. 00:50:10
All right, you give the client an opinion based on the law and whether they like it or not. That's. 00:50:18
Our job ethically. 00:50:26
So the opinion. 00:50:28
On June 24th. 00:50:30
To Greg Frederick, who's the chair of the town of Lebanon. 00:50:33
And that's from Mr. William Nelson, who's an environmental lawyer. 00:50:38
He addresses the very first sentence to. 00:50:42
Dear Greg. 00:50:46
Mr. Steve Folkman, liaison for the Town of Lebanon regarding the Rock River Group, inquired blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 00:50:47
And short story. 00:50:58
He cites Statute 92. 00:51:00
Understand that environmental regulation isn't just the statute. The statute is extraordinarily broad. 00:51:03
And all of the lot of the details are in the administrative code. That's where the. 00:51:10
Stuff hits the fan is in the administrative code, the nitty gritty. 00:51:16
So you don't necessarily expect to see the actual language in the statute? 00:51:20
And and Attorney Nass. 00:51:25
Recognizes that. 00:51:28
Chapter 92 specifically states. 00:51:30
That the Land and Conservation Committee can fund projects dealing with flooding. 00:51:33
And I understand if you guys folks agree. 00:51:39
That management of. 00:51:43
Water and flooding. 00:51:45
Is not a public interest that's going to affect any request you folks make. 00:51:47
So is it a public interest? Is flooding a public interest? I think that. 00:51:52
Clearly is. 00:51:57
I wanted to address some of the comments. 00:52:01
What one speaker said is accurate and I've been involved. 00:52:05
In this for a couple of years. 00:52:10
And that speaker said there is no proposed drawdown plan. 00:52:13
And I've spoke with people who are. 00:52:18
Sort of scientific researchers, I said. 00:52:22
Would there ever be a 1 foot drawdown in Sinnissippi? I've been on this committee for over 10 years and before that I was on a 00:52:25
Beaver Dam lake management. 00:52:29
Drawdown committee for 10 years. 00:52:33
And I was shocked that somebody would actually propose A1 foot drawdown. It would be devastating. Yuval, devastated. You've all 00:52:36
testified to that and spoken to that. 00:52:40
And the answer's no. 00:52:44
There is no proposed drawdown. 00:52:45
And a lot of people are here, frankly, because of some misinformation. I don't know where it came from. I wish somebody had called 00:52:48
me. 00:52:52
Because I didn't even understand. There was an uproar. I was on vacation. 00:52:55
So. 00:52:59
One of the things. 00:53:00
After recognizing that clearly the management of lakes and rivers is of public interest. 00:53:01
I want to refer to what another speaker said. 00:53:07
And that is? 00:53:10
That we should not do this short term plan and jump into a lake and draw it down and damage property and erosion and all of those 00:53:12
things. I agree with that. 00:53:16
That speaker said. 00:53:20
That we should be working on a quote. 00:53:22
Long term science based solution. 00:53:25
That's what you folks said. 00:53:29
The reason that there is an engineering firm and environmental engineering firm is to work on a long term science based solution. 00:53:31
That's the purpose of this. I know some of you are shaking your heads, but I. 00:53:43
Telling you I've been involved for three years. I'm not. Just didn't come in over the weekend. 00:53:46
And. 00:53:51
That solution, our county has already provided this group with money. I think it's what, 30,000 John over five years. 00:53:52
How much point of order we have not given to that we gave to the specific item we gave to an item that has been. 00:54:01
We provided a $30,000. 00:54:10
To whomever. 00:54:13
2 which is 5000 a year. 00:54:15
And that was to provide gauges for the river. 00:54:18
Because people can sit on the bridge and go, oh, that's that doesn't look like a lot of flooding or that does. But the truth is a 00:54:21
science based. 00:54:25
Focus would have a Watergate. 00:54:29
That says after this rain event. 00:54:32
The water was this high or the water was that high? 00:54:35
I agree with you. 00:54:38
That you should not make abrupt decisions and that a science based alternative should be done. Now there is some data from these 00:54:40
stages which the counties already funded. 00:54:45
I hate to cut you off, so I'm just saying I'll just end that. 00:54:51
I do. 00:54:54
Favor $26,000 to fund the science based project. Thank you. Thank you. OK. 00:54:56
Just a point of clarification, I was not at the last meeting. 00:55:03
So I did not say, OK, I didn't say anything at the last meeting. And the other point of clarification is? 00:55:06
This letter specifically says, and I'm referring to the Montgomery Associates letter May 15th. 00:55:13
We have been working for Steve Folkman and Tim Cargill. 00:55:18
And I I'm not here to diminish anything with regard to the importance and the detriment of the flooding downstream. I'm not saying 00:55:22
that. 00:55:27
My specific request from this committee was to give you a legal opinion with regard to whether or not the county. 00:55:31
Not my personal money. This is the county money. Whether the county can fund the efforts that are being requested by the 00:55:39
Montgomery Associates letter. 00:55:43
So with that I will not say anything more. I've given you my opinion. 00:55:47
If you have questions, you certainly can ask me questions. 00:55:51
But I will just leave it at that. I'm not interested in engaging in debate about. 00:55:54
Legal stances and such. Thank you, attorney Nas, is there any other questions for attorney asks or anyone got anything else? 00:55:59
So immediate concerns the applicants so as a private individuals that's. 00:56:05
That's your primary reason for rejecting. 00:56:10
And I believe it's a bigger issue than just a. 00:56:13
Couple of farms. 00:56:16
Or the town or the county. So this is a major. 00:56:18
Flood control problem for the future. 00:56:21
And it shouldn't be just for a small segment of the county. 00:56:24
So if it was requested by the town of Lebanon or a group of towns. 00:56:28
Would that be more applicable in this case? 00:56:33
Again, I I don't want to frame the issue or frame the request. 00:56:40
Future requests. 00:56:44
And I'm not going to speculate on if it came from. 00:56:46
I understand what you're you're getting at. 00:56:49
A different request would require a different analysis, so I I I reserve the right to do that analysis if a different request 00:56:53
comes in. 00:56:56
So the current request is for analysis and not a dam control order change. 00:57:01
So this is a hydraulic study. 00:57:06
In review of the east half of the county. 00:57:08
Watershed. 00:57:12
So as we go forward with the weather pattern changes. 00:57:16
We're seeing last July we had tremendous amount of water for. 00:57:20
10 day period. 00:57:25
That was part of the weekly of the shorelines, I'm sure. 00:57:27
That affected the winter problems. 00:57:31
So this is a. 00:57:34
Major concern, I think, for the east half of the county. 00:57:36
To address this in the future. 00:57:39
So should this be a? 00:57:41
The state driven project or Dad cap driven project? 00:57:43
Perhaps I just will point out again, the committee should look at the the. 00:57:48
Request that's in front of it and I just want to point out a couple of things and I'm sorry that I'm reiterating. 00:57:53
But it talks about advising and directing UW Madison staff and climatology issues. 00:57:59
Really not within the purview of. 00:58:04
The county. 00:58:07
Advise Review technical work and direct UW Madison staff on reservoir operation hydraulic issues. 00:58:09
I don't see the basis for the county to be advising UW Madison on anything. 00:58:17
Support consideration of restored watershed flood storage. I'm not sure what it means to support consideration of. 00:58:25
Support new coordinated gate operation operator. 00:58:35
Operating order. 00:58:39
Again, not within the purview of the county. 00:58:40
And Mr. Foley, I I will acknowledge, if there is a different request, the Committee subject to the Chairs. 00:58:44
You know, authority could. 00:58:51
Evaluate a different request and I would. 00:58:54
Take a look at it but. 00:58:56
As it's presented to you by this May 15th letter I. 00:58:58
I don't have any other opinion other than what I stated previously. 00:59:01
Thank you. 00:59:06
Any other questions for Attorney Nas? 00:59:08
OK, John, I want to, you know, you're the county conservationist. You're an expert. None of us here are of your knowledge. 00:59:13
What is your opinion on IT department wise? 00:59:21
No, nobody's an expert. 00:59:24
I lived in Dodge County in Houston area for 32 years. I've spent plenty of time on the lake. 00:59:27
I've seen. 00:59:31
Plenty of flooding going on downstream. 00:59:33
There's flooding going going on all throughout the state of Wisconsin. I've talked to my counterparts and other counties about 00:59:35
this issue. 00:59:39
And. 00:59:43
I do not believe we should be using tax dollars to. 00:59:45
Pay for something like this. 00:59:49
Because it's it's a private entity and you open yourself up to a can of worms for anybody and everybody else coming to the county 00:59:51
requesting funds as you can see on. 00:59:56
On another item later on in this agenda. 01:00:01
If the if the committee decided to do something. 01:00:06
That would direct my department to do something that is a completely different subject matter. 01:00:09
But I I do not. 01:00:16
Favor supporting this. 01:00:18
Funding at this time. 01:00:21
No applause please. I don't need that. Thank you. 01:00:23
Thank you. 01:00:26
Is there any other questions for John or attorney Nas? 01:00:27
I have a follow up on this specifically again. 01:00:32
The Corp council's request was said. 01:00:35
But he doesn't believe it's appropriate for funding to go to a private entity. 01:00:38
And again. 01:00:42
Council did not refer to this letter. 01:00:43
This letter is dated June 24th. 01:00:46
And it's a request by the town of Lebanon. 01:00:49
And that. 01:00:52
Happens all the time, money comes in. 01:00:54
And it goes through either the county, we have tons of pass through funds, we have millions of dollars going pass through funds 01:00:57
for various purposes. 01:01:01
And this would go through the town of Lebanon. 01:01:05
Hydraulic studies, by the way. That's where you get what one of you folks said. 01:01:10
Is science based solutions. 01:01:16
We can look up a few articles and I'm sure all of what you read and what you brought up is accurate based on what that study was. 01:01:21
But we aren't going to get information about flooding in Dodge County. 01:01:28
Unless we do the study with. 01:01:32
The engineering and environmental department of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. None of us here. 01:01:35
Are experts some scientific management of water? 01:01:41
And last chapter 92 specifically allows. 01:01:45
The county. 01:01:49
To develop programs to address flooding. 01:01:50
That is. 01:01:53
That's in the black and white statute and and understand that if you folks are having significant problems in flooding in 01:01:55
Sinnissippi. 01:01:59
By this logic. 01:02:03
You're not going to get help either. 01:02:06
The idea of the county is to get scientific basis information. 01:02:08
That's all we're doing. No one's doing an order, no one's doing a plan. 01:02:12
There will be no request for any plans. I will say if there were any request to follow up on this study. 01:02:17
I guarantee you every Lake District will be informed of that request so there is less misunderstanding. 01:02:24
About what the purpose is, right? Hey, OK. 01:02:31
I think we're gonna cut the conversation short on this right now. 01:02:33
Again, please know Christ from the audience. I would greatly appreciate that. 01:02:38
Is there any other discussion? 01:02:42
Supervisor Maham. 01:02:50
I have a question. 01:02:52
Is this funding for the town of Lebanon? 01:02:54
Or to the Rock River group. 01:02:57
It goes to the town of Lebanon. 01:02:59
That's where the funding is going to. 01:03:01
Well. 01:03:04
Kim, do you want to weigh in on that? 01:03:04
That's the request of the it's regarding the Rock River Working Group. 01:03:08
It's a request regarding the Rock River Working Group. 01:03:12
Yes, the town of Lebanon I I understand the town of Lebanon is a part of that working group. 01:03:15
But if I don't know what legal entity the Rock River Working Group is. 01:03:22
The town of Lebanon receives the funds. That's the request to the town of Lebanon that that is not what's stated in here. So. 01:03:27
And I I have the June 24th letter. 01:03:35
I got it this morning at about. 01:03:38
7:30 this morning. 01:03:40
And I I understand there were reasons. 01:03:43
I didn't provide this letter. I got it last night too so. 01:03:46
I would have clued you in, Kim so. 01:03:49
Yeah, it says the Rock River Working Group. 01:03:52
OK. Any other discussion? 01:03:56
I would I would move that we do not provide funding to the Rock River Group. 01:04:00
Based on. 01:04:08
Its request for funding to go to a private entity. 01:04:10
OK. Can you please repeat that motion? 01:04:14
Motion. 01:04:19
Yeah, I'm saying. 01:04:21
Assuming we are providing funds to a private entity. 01:04:24
I would move that the Rock River Coalition not be granted the funds. 01:04:28
That they are requesting right now, today 26,000. 01:04:34
It's the town of Lebanon, but I'm saying. 01:04:39
I'm hearing the court council say this is going to a private entity, so based on her saying that. 01:04:42
If it's going to a private entity. 01:04:49
We deny it. That's the motion. 01:04:51
If those funds are going to a private entity, I move we deny the funding. 01:04:54
That's my motion. 01:04:59
Is there a second? 01:05:01
I'll second it. 01:05:04
OK. We have a motion and a second. Is there any further discussion? 01:05:06
Again, this is a major issue for the county for the future. 01:05:11
In storm water control and Emergency Management will need to have future research on this. 01:05:14
To protect the different highways and the lake fronts and the. 01:05:20
The watersheds themselves. 01:05:23
So this is a bigger issue than I think even. 01:05:25
Guidelines here provided by Mr. Montgomery. 01:05:29
Touches on a lot of areas, but it's inadequate, I think, for the future of Dodge County. 01:05:32
We need as a. 01:05:37
LCD as a LWCC. 01:05:42
Find a way to get. 01:05:44
The state, the Corps of Engineers, somebody involved to help us analyze this. 01:05:46
And a different structure to go forward with to. 01:05:51
Give us some good answers, not just the study but implementation. 01:05:54
OK, any other discussion? One other problem that bothers me is that. 01:05:58
The dams, whether dam or a lot of other dams. 01:06:03
In the county. 01:06:08
Were never designed or intended for flood control. 01:06:10
So. 01:06:14
That makes it more difficult. 01:06:15
OK, Mr. Chairman. Yeah, I, I don't, I don't feel the motion's real clear. It sounds almost like lawyer talk to me. 01:06:21
And I I think it's either we're gonna. 01:06:27
Fund this or not fund it. Excuse me, Mr. Chairman, that is my motion, OK? And if you don't want to vote on it, you don't have to. 01:06:30
But I do not have to amend my motion and I'm not. We need to vote on my motion. 01:06:36
See you a or nay. 01:06:43
So I understand the motion is not to. 01:06:45
Authorize the funding. 01:06:48
Based on and I said this in the motion. 01:06:50
For the minutes. 01:06:53
Based on funding going to a private entity. 01:06:54
Understood. 01:06:57
OK, any other? Any other? 01:06:59
Any other discussion? 01:07:03
All right, so I'll call for a vote. I think I'm going to do a roll call vote. 01:07:05
So the motion and just want to make sure we're clear because this is very controversial is not to fund this because it's related 01:07:09
to a private. 01:07:12
Because the funds are going to a private entity, yes, OK. 01:07:16
All right. With that, if you're in favor of the motion signified by yes. If you're opposed of the motion. 01:07:20
Signify by no supervisor. 01:07:27
Aye, yes. 01:07:30
Mr. Weniger. 01:07:32
Supervisor Priesen, Yes. 01:07:34
Supervisor Johnson No, I don't think it's clear. 01:07:36
Supervisor Mahal. 01:07:40
Yes. 01:07:42
Mr. Foley, Yes. 01:07:43
Myself. Yes. Motion carried. 01:07:44
Now do we there could could there be another? Could there be no that that was a particular motion for a private crew. This the the 01:07:48
the ask is not for a private group, it's for funding. I think that should be discussed. I thought that was a lawyer training. 01:07:54
Jim, any any input on that? 01:08:01
So that, that is the, the assumption that you're, that there isn't guys, we can't hear the court council. 01:08:05
I think I would. I don't think it's right. 01:08:13
So there's nothing else before you this morning. 01:08:21
OK. 01:08:24
So no funding will be granted. Yeah, I I agree with that though. OK, thank you. 01:08:25
OK. 01:08:30
With that, I will turn the chair position back over to Chairman, Supervisor Johnson. 01:08:31
We will take a 2 minute recess so you people can leave and we'll begin the educator part of the meeting. 01:08:37
So the misconception was that they're gonna throw it on the lake. 01:08:51
He said that was clearly, that was the fear. 01:09:00
Yeah, but the boat. 01:09:06
Wasn't very sorry. Very solid #2 layers again. Now it's talking. OK, OK, yeah. 01:09:08
I agree with you, that wasn't really clear. 01:09:18
Good time. 01:09:21
Oh, it will be. 01:10:08
So see. 01:10:09
So I have to. 01:10:12
But you know, I did. But you know, I went on to study and asked if I lived in the on the shoreline and I said no. 01:10:50
More coming because I didn't live at the store. 01:11:00
I was jumped right off. 01:11:09
Inner study after I said I did not live on the lake. That was a very pretty. 01:11:11
Plug it in my computer. Yeah, I'm on. 01:11:17
Yeah, yeah. 01:11:24
Yeah. 01:11:26
My aunt OK. 01:13:04
There's some mistakes. You gotta be quiet. 01:13:05
OK, we're going to continue the meeting. 01:13:08
We are going to move to our next item. 01:13:10
So if you guys could either, it has to be quiet if you want to stay, you're certainly welcome to stay. 01:13:12
Otherwise, I'd ask you that you leave. 01:13:18
OK. 01:13:29
Come on up, extension, go ahead. We're resuming. We're back. We're back from our recess and we are resuming. We are looking for 01:13:30
item number 7, UW extension update. 01:13:34
I can't hear you, Mr. Chairman. 01:13:39
We're going to now do the UW extension update. We are in item number 7. 01:13:46
Yeah, we can. 01:13:54
Brief. 01:13:59
All right. Good morning, everyone. I know you had a busy morning so far. I'm going to keep the extension piece short. I did send 01:14:05
out. 01:14:10
If you're not aware about the food wise funding that it may be eliminated. 01:14:15
So that is, it's going to like the Senate and the House. This is part of that big, beautiful bill. 01:14:21
If that happens, and we'll have to reevaluate how. 01:14:29
So you know, nutrition education will be. 01:14:33
Done in Dodge County, if that's even a possibility. So. 01:14:37
How many people does that affect? In our county, we have 1 1/2 per se. We have a coordinator that overseas. 01:14:41
The other county, she just got hired, Melissa, she will be here next month so you can meet her. And then Kimberly, that's our 01:14:49
educator here and she works here and in. 01:14:54
One other county. 01:14:59
Oh no, you thought I meant employees. I'm asking how many people who live in Dodge County will be affected. I don't know that 01:15:01
number off the top of my head. I'd have to go grab our annual report that we're working on. 01:15:06
But a lot. 01:15:12
Because she does a lot. 01:15:14
So that's kind of out of our control because it's federal funding. It is 100% funded by not extension or not extension. 01:15:18
And not the county. So it's that federal. No, you can shut the door. 01:15:28
OK. Other than that, unless you have any other questions, well, we'll get that information for you about how many? 01:15:33
Especially because our annual reports almost done. 01:15:42
OK. 01:15:45
Manuel, yes, great. 01:15:46
Hello. 01:15:49
Let me see. 01:15:50
Yeah. 01:15:53
Thank you. 01:15:54
Well, I'm I'm glad to be back here. 01:15:56
I guess I'll try to be brief too. 01:16:00
So you guys know I started last October. 01:16:03
Since I started as part of my job in extension, I started conducting and its assessment. 01:16:06
That is continuously going on. 01:16:11
I keep meeting up. 01:16:15
Different parties of the industry. 01:16:17
So I continue to I mentioned earlier. 01:16:20
In another meeting that about two workshops I did. 01:16:24
I host it. 01:16:28
One of Calvin management and the other one for fear school. But what I really want to highlight today is something that you guys 01:16:30
have in your desk by this time of the year the farmers are. 01:16:35
Mainly busy at the field so it's time for us to work more. 01:16:41
Like office kind of thing to plan and to, yeah. 01:16:45
Plan to what we're gonna execute later. 01:16:50
In the year, but also to provide them information. 01:16:53
So I want to highlight that I've been. 01:16:55
Working probably more passionate towards. 01:16:57
My bilingual part which? 01:17:01
Honestly, it does. 01:17:04
Not mean that I'm doing anything different, but every single thing that I do or the team does, I put the effort of doing it 01:17:05
bilingually to offer. 01:17:09
Whatever extension is offering. 01:17:13
I me. And not only me, but the team. The very team. 01:17:15
We try to put every single thing bilingually so it's available for everyone. In the bilingual team, there's not only bilingual 01:17:20
people, there's also only. 01:17:24
English speakers which just enrich the group. 01:17:30
The newsletter that you guys have there in front of you is the first issue of the Bowie Noticias is Just one Page. 01:17:34
Newsletter. 01:17:41
You have two copies of it. One is in Spanish and 1 is in English. 01:17:43
They have exactly the same information which we found to be critical for farmers to be to be able to know. 01:17:47
To share the same information between the management part and the workers, there's not only. 01:17:54
Like. 01:17:59
Barrier in language itself. 01:18:01
Both parties speaking different language but also sharing different information. So what we really wanted to do with this? 01:18:04
Is to put the same information for both sides and help them. 01:18:11
Breach those gaps. 01:18:15
We want to provide research based information. 01:18:17
That is also practical and help them to. 01:18:21
Feel some skills or two. 01:18:23
Trust more or? 01:18:26
Keep relying on those skills that are good. 01:18:28
And also to create like a farm culture. 01:18:31
That is more positive for both sides. 01:18:35
Gapping that barrier. 01:18:37
Also with the bilingual work. 01:18:39
We're planning on doing a webinar that is done every year, but this year I'm part of the. 01:18:43
Of the webinar, so we're going to be. 01:18:51
Trying to focus again on bringing information that is actually practical in the years, years before it started to be like that. 01:18:54
But then. 01:18:58
Because of the impact that it had, like it went worldwide, because the educator, which is actually Alison Fowl, the one that was 01:19:02
here before. 01:19:06
She convocated a lot of people from all over the world since the industry. 01:19:11
Can be. 01:19:17
I would say small sometimes and then we get together in the congresses and and events. So it went worldwide, but we wanted to 01:19:19
bring it back to focus on the issues of Wisconsin. 01:19:23
And more focus on practical things that we can provide to the. 01:19:28
To the farmers of the region. 01:19:33
I'm also working. 01:19:35
On this bilingual research that is. Oh, and that one that that webinar we're doing at this time with the collaboration of Cornell 01:19:37
University, which is something called. 01:19:42
Also about that collaboration in the bilingual aspect, we're doing some research or collaborating and research with university, 01:19:48
with Michigan State University. 01:19:52
Is actually some research. We're gathering information and I'm doing that in my region too. 01:19:57
Using surveys to see. 01:20:02
What are the strategies that farmers. 01:20:04
Used to bridge those gaps between between English and Spanish, Spanish if there those are. 01:20:06
I mean well known by the farmers. 01:20:13
But those are not documented, and if they're not documented, there's no research we can. 01:20:17
Move ahead to provide more tools for them to reduce those. 01:20:21
Hookups and. 01:20:26
One thing that I wanted to mention also is. 01:20:28
Extension used to offer a tractor safety training. 01:20:32
That is something that one of the farmers that I first met. 01:20:36
From Nell's Brothers farm which is really close here. 01:20:40
Told me about it, they wanted to bring it back. 01:20:43
I don't know really the reasons why extension stopped doing it. 01:20:47
But we're trying to bring it back in collaboration with these farmers and. 01:20:52
That that is not only from the dairy team, but also from the dairy farm management. 01:20:56
Team and that is something cool because that is a need not only from this. 01:21:01
County, but for all the other ones. But we're gonna start doing like a pilot, hopefully at the beginning of the fall. 01:21:06
In order to bring that training back, which is. 01:21:13
Something that the finders have been asking for. 01:21:16
I think that training got cut because I used to teach it. I think they got cut because they're having a hard time finding. 01:21:18
Volunteers to teach. 01:21:25
Right. I do know Mayville is having a program. I think it's Mayville 'cause I was asked to do that last winter. So I think maybe I 01:21:27
might have some kind of, I don't know if it's through the FFA or not. 01:21:31
But that might be something you might want to reach out and check into. But I think Mabel's doing something or right, they did 01:21:36
this like this earlier this year. 01:21:39
Right, right. So. 01:21:44
So we're working with John Schottky. He seems to be very. 01:21:49
He he knows he has been part of those trainings before. 01:21:55
And he is relying, I think he has a program that was allowed. 01:21:58
For him to work with. 01:22:03
I don't. I think maybe Penn State University had like a very strong program for training safety. 01:22:06
We're working with him. 01:22:11
It's very hard because we need like we're gonna need. 01:22:13
Sponsors and space to execute too. 01:22:18
But this farm specifically is like also doing a huge effort to. 01:22:22
Make it real. So we're gonna be trying to push that. 01:22:29
Yeah, and that's pretty much I wanted to highlight the the violin, what we're doing. 01:22:33
Just for general knowledge, I made some research before coming here. There's still no. 01:22:39
AVN influenza cases in. 01:22:46
Derek House in the county. So that's right. We we keep on thinking on that all the time. 01:22:50
To see how we can help to. 01:22:56
On prevention, we we do it. There's a couple articles that we do. 01:22:58
Put out for farmers to. 01:23:01
Get to know what's going on, but. 01:23:04
Looks like it's going to happen at some point. So we're we're also. 01:23:07
Having an eye on it so we will be ready. 01:23:11
Or not. 01:23:14
I don't know if you guys have any questions. 01:23:16
OK, they don't hear any questions, so. 01:23:22
We'll go to the. I think that's it then. OK, well, thank you so much. 01:23:25
OK. We'll go on to the agency advisors. 01:23:29
To be Sawyer. 01:23:34
And everyone. 01:23:41
Aren't umm. 01:23:43
Yeah. So I just got some highlighted updates of what we've been doing in our office of recent. 01:23:45
Our Conservation Stewardship Program contract obligation deadline is this Wednesday so fast approaching. 01:23:50
We basically had 12 new CSPS get funded across Dodge County. 01:23:59
These are for practices related to, you know, no till grass waterways. 01:24:04
You know, you name it, it's probably included cover crops, that type of stuff. 01:24:09
Additional funding is kind of trickling down. 01:24:14
Through USDA nationally. 01:24:19
There may be a few new contracts that get like selected here. 01:24:22
Within the next month. 01:24:26
All of our contracts have to be obligated. 01:24:28
You know official contracts prior to our September 30th. 01:24:31
Fiscal year deadline. So that's kind of the the line in the sand that it has to be done by. 01:24:34
Additionally. 01:24:40
We've completed and wrapped up our site visits for. 01:24:42
Our random compliance check with Farm Service Agency. This is for our highly erodible land and wetland compliance. 01:24:46
Basically checking that. 01:24:54
You know, wetlands aren't being filled and we don't have giant gullies down hillsides, that type of stuff, so. 01:24:55
That's all been submitted in our system. 01:25:02
Any land owners that may have had a few issues pop up were notifying and working with them to remedy the issues. 01:25:05
Also, you know. 01:25:14
Corn's been growing. 01:25:16
Pretty rapidly within the last. 01:25:18
Week or so with the warm weather and rainfall, so we're trying to get all of our no till strip till checks. 01:25:20
Prior to. 01:25:27
You know. 01:25:29
We won't be able to see the the soil pretty quick if we if we prolong it any longer. 01:25:29
So we're hoping to have that wrapped up here in the next week or so. 01:25:34
Then we can make our. 01:25:38
Payments for our equip program. 01:25:40
The remaining time we will just spend in the field. 01:25:43
Addressing other resource concerns, whether their water quality, you know, soil health, erosion issues. 01:25:46
Trying to get some. 01:25:53
Good applications ready for our next fiscal year. 01:25:55
So November is our main sign up. So if we can have a bunch of good applications prior to November. 01:25:58
That'll just be that much better contracts. 01:26:05
And the last thing we're working on is it's kind of our construction season for any engineering practices that we have, so. 01:26:08
You know, this could be anything from newer pits that we have. 01:26:16
Funded waterways, grazing systems, wetland scrapes. 01:26:20
You know, the whole gamut of all those practices. 01:26:25
Especially with wheat going to be coming off here in the next month. 01:26:28
You know, maybe two months. 01:26:32
That's kind of our super busy time for construction. 01:26:35
So as those projects go in, we meet with the contractors and just make sure everything meets our standards so we can ultimately 01:26:38
just cost share on it. 01:26:43
Other than that, that's really all I have unless there's any. 01:26:49
Questions or concerns? 01:26:52
Any questions from the committee? 01:26:55
OK. Thank you, guys. Matt. 01:26:58
Good morning, everyone. 01:27:09
So for FSA. 01:27:12
I just got a few updates. 01:27:14
We still are waiting for the finalization of our CRP sign up that we had. 01:27:16
That closed. 01:27:22
Next couple weeks we should hear something. 01:27:23
We did not hear anything about the extension of continuous sign up either. 01:27:26
So CRP is just generally on hold for right now. 01:27:32
They did announce, and we did pay last week, the second round of mask payments. 01:27:36
That was the multiple. 01:27:42
Crop specialty crop payment that went out in March ish. I think you paid at 85% rate, they're going to pay out the rest. 01:27:44
And amounts to 1.3 billion across the nation. 01:27:54
Nothing the farmers had to sign up for at this time. 01:27:58
If you got mask 1, you will get another payment here in the next week or so. 01:28:01
We are working on our spring season or summer season of crop reporting. As of today, we are roughly 55% done of getting producers 01:28:07
in. 01:28:12
A little shy of our goal, but we're doing. 01:28:18
OK, at this point we got a deadline on that of July 15th. 01:28:21
So we're working to get guys in the door and get that wrapped up. 01:28:26
And this is our FSA County Committee nomination period, which opened in June. 01:28:31
Runs to August 1st, so we're always looking for new farmers to run as members of our committee. 01:28:37
So if you know anybody that's interested, send them to the office. 01:28:43
And lastly, we have a new program coming out. 01:28:48
It's one of these supplemental program. It's called the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program. 01:28:53
We don't know much about it yet. We've got training coming this week. 01:28:58
But that will be rolling out here fairly soon. 01:29:02
So that's all I have for. 01:29:05
News from FSA, Anybody have any questions for me? 01:29:08
OK. Thank you and appreciate the time. Thank you. 01:29:13
OK. Next up will be a request from Lake Improvement District for financial assistance for USGS monitoring station. You guys can 01:29:16
come up here. 01:29:20
I disclosed to the committee that I am on that this this group. I am a commissioner representing Dodge County on the Lake 01:29:25
Sinnissippi. 01:29:28
District. So if if there if the committee does take action, I will abstain. 01:29:32
Good morning. 01:29:38
I'm Dave Matthews. I'm Commissioner on the Lakes and Mississippi Improvement District. I am filling in this morning for our chair, 01:29:40
Christine Clem, who is not. 01:29:44
Available this morning. 01:29:49
This request is. 01:29:52
Consideration of cost sharing with the county. 01:29:53
And that the county gives consideration as it develops its 2026. 01:29:58
Budget. 01:30:03
What this is we have installed. There is one correction. I assume everyone received a letter. 01:30:05
That was shared. 01:30:11
The Lake Improvement District has installed a United States Geological Service monitoring gauge at the Tweedy St. Bridge in 01:30:13
Hustisford, not Juneau. So that was just a. 01:30:19
One correction there, that gauge is up and running and it's been running for about a month. If you look on the link you can see 01:30:26
one nice panorama of the inlet towards the dam as well as Pelicans swimming around, but it is collecting quite a bit of data 01:30:31
already. 01:30:37
The second part of it is that the USGS is putting a gauge on the highway S bridge, which is the Rock River coming out of Horicon 01:30:42
and and downstream. That is a that is a manual monitoring. 01:30:50
It'll be done about 8 to 10 times a year. 01:30:57
One of the reasons why we have done this is last year our. 01:31:01
Lake management plan was approved by the Wisconsin DNR and we were one of the requirements is we had to collect data for. 01:31:06
Scientific purposes to show the water level changes within the lake because we have on our docket a lot of projects that we want 01:31:16
to do to help improve lake quality. 01:31:21
And as well as the entire watershed. 01:31:26
So this you know and and then on top besides that we have are soliciting 3 homeowner volunteers to to do additional water level 01:31:31
monitoring so we can capture different. 01:31:38
Fluctuations over a two year period started in 2025. This is to go through the end of 2026. 01:31:44
And to have that data which we would report to the USGS and then we would. 01:31:51
It would help us with besides lake management plan but also determining this was a requirement for determining what are 01:31:57
appropriate drop down levels for you know, different points of the year, what has changed because what has changed over time. So 01:32:02
this data would help. 01:32:07
Demonstrate how we can. 01:32:13
You know. 01:32:16
Improve, you know, lake quality. 01:32:18
OK. 01:32:23
Does anyone have any questions? 01:32:23
So this is for the. 01:32:27
Each level. Now the station question. 01:32:29
It is for the. 01:32:32
The main cost is the. 01:32:34
Is the automatic monitoring station on the Tweedy St. bridge. 01:32:36
And then the additional cost is because that's 5700 a year, then the seven $57150 is for actual USGS staff. 01:32:40
To go to that. 01:32:50
To the South Street bridge and collect data that is a manual monitoring station. 01:32:52
And then it's their collection of this data and compiling it for us. 01:32:57
At the screen gauge. 01:33:02
I don't know don't know that answer. 01:33:05
It's a manual monitoring station on Hwy. S The Tweedy St. bridge is an automated that one, yes. 01:33:08
So the request to monitor and manage both of those station. 01:33:15
Correct. 01:33:19
And to, you know, monitor the water level changes over a two year period. 01:33:21
OK. 01:33:29
Committee. 01:33:31
I know you said it and I apologize them. 01:33:34
What was the amount again? 01:33:37
It's 6400, a year that we will be well we've allocated in our budget. 01:33:38
But it's over a two year period, so 5700 for the automatic station and then 750 for the USGA staff to do the manual monitoring. So 01:33:44
it's it's only for this budget of course. 01:33:50
Correct. 01:33:56
OK. Any other questions from the committee? 01:34:01
I don't have a question but I have a comment that. 01:34:05
I know Fox League did a similar thing for their five key element plan when they did their lake management plan and they had to put 01:34:07
out. 01:34:10
Monitors and they monitored them. 01:34:14
They didn't request for any funding. 01:34:17
But I know if this passes. 01:34:19
Next time they will. 01:34:20
Request. 01:34:22
Well, the the the board or this committee does not have to act on it today. It can. It can consider in its budget, it can. 01:34:24
You know, it doesn't have to act to fund it. Today we are making the budget coming up when you start making the budget, John 01:34:32
working on it, no. 01:34:35
They can give consideration if we want at that time, but if you want to either, if you want to pass it, you can course take a 01:34:39
motion to pass it. 01:34:42
That's up to you guys. Make a motion or not make a motion, That's up to you. 01:34:47
I know this isn't really made any different than what we just did with the last one. 01:34:50
OK, correct. Can I speak or hang on? I'm sorry. I think it is different because this is a. 01:34:55
A district. 01:35:02
Requesting the money, not a private taxing authority. So the district. 01:35:03
This has changed the way. 01:35:09
The other one that's in there is always on the same thing. Is that going to make? 01:35:11
Are the levels pretty much the same? We haven't been doing the formal monitoring. This is just this is the formal monitoring now 01:35:15
we've done. 01:35:19
We've had lake individual individuals on the lake that did ad hoc monitoring, but this is to have actual data. 01:35:24
Over the course of two years from from these stations. 01:35:31
So if we approve this, this will go to as a recommendation to the county board. 01:35:39
It'll be included in my budget, but then the county board will review it. 01:35:43
So it could get yanked if it's in there? Yep. 01:35:48
I'm not sure they're gonna. 01:35:53
Squawk about $6000. 01:35:55
But who knows? 01:35:57
That comes directly out of your budget, John. 01:36:00
Well, it be. 01:36:03
Taxes. County taxes that would be added to my budget to pay for it. 01:36:06
I think we should think about it. It's been a really, as you can understand, an exhausting morning and. 01:36:13
I'm just suggesting the. 01:36:21
Can think about it and maybe vote on it next month. 01:36:23
But if you someone feels differently, that's how. 01:36:27
Do you want this emotion? Do you want to make a motion to a certain time for next month or, or do you want John just to consider 01:36:29
it or, or does he want him to consider it as he makes his budget? I want him to put it on the agenda so we can consider it next 01:36:34
month. 01:36:38
July is not too late to add budget items. 01:36:43
And it really starts to come together in September, August. 01:36:46
OK. We have a motion to move this to the next committee. Is there a second? 01:36:50
I'll second it. Second by Ken, is there any discussion? 01:36:54
We're going to actually study the entire Rock River. We're going to need this kind of data up and down the river. 01:36:58
Each of the stations that are there and then in between. 01:37:04
To give a good hydrolysis analysis of it. 01:37:07
Bachelor. 01:37:10
Yes, I'm favourable. 01:37:13
Here OK. 01:37:15
Yeah, I I will abstain, but those in favor signify by saying aye. 01:37:16
Aye, aye. 01:37:20
OK. Hearing none. OK, motion to move it to next month. So we will reconsider this at next month's meeting. OK. Thank you very 01:37:21
much. We appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. 01:37:25
OK. 01:37:32
Are we? Is this online? This number 5? 01:37:34
Kevin. No, no, no. Yeah, yeah, Kevin. 01:37:37
Yeah, we're doing the. So Kevin will be joining us. Kevin, are you still there? 01:37:40
Hey, can you hear me? 01:37:46
Yes. 01:37:48
You're on. 01:37:50
Yep. Did you want to give a brief intro, John, or you just want me to get right into it? 01:37:51
You can just get right into it. I mean, everybody knows we've been doing this for five years. We're done with the first five years 01:37:56
as. 01:38:00
Thing and you're giving us a summary of what you've accumulated over the Year 5 year period. 01:38:03
Cool, I'll breeze through this because I know it looks like a lot of the same, you know? 01:38:08
Committee members, but just for those that might be new. 01:38:12
Been working with John and his. 01:38:16
His department on. 01:38:19
On this well water monitoring. 01:38:21
You know, the real goal. I think we we talked many years ago. 01:38:24
Back in 2019 about the availability of good baseline data, but this question of. 01:38:29
Is groundwater well water quality getting better or worse? Was kind of an outstanding question. So that was. 01:38:35
What we set out to do and and to do that well. 01:38:41
We felt it was necessary to test. 01:38:45
A significant number of wells representative of the county. 01:38:48
Spatially, as well as the diversity of geology, land use. 01:38:52
Soils. 01:38:56
And the same wells was really important because otherwise you're you're kind of comparing apples to oranges. 01:38:58
So that was the intent. 01:39:04
We recruited wells with known well construction report. 01:39:06
Information. So that was mostly wells drilled after 1988? 01:39:11
Again, we tried to get wells that were spatially distributed. 01:39:16
And all things being equal, we, we gave preference to people that participated in previous well testing because it gave us kind 01:39:19
of. 01:39:23
Additional data points in the past that we could. 01:39:26
Utilize. 01:39:29
Annually, we mailed sample kits. Participants collected samples, mailed them back. 01:39:31
Using prepaid mailers, they were analyzed here at UWSP in the Water and Remember Analysis Lab. 01:39:37
Which is state certified to perform those those particular analysis? 01:39:43
And the participants were mailed results and given interpretive information. 01:39:47
And I would come or have come to Dodge County or presented to Dodge County annually. 01:39:52
On the results. 01:39:58
If we look originally we recruited or reached out to over 900 land owners. 01:40:01
That first year. 01:40:06
We had approximately 41% of the the people that we reached out to. 01:40:08
Indicating that they wanted to participate and and successfully participated. 01:40:14
So that was 374 in year 1. By Year 5, we did have some attrition. 01:40:20
But we retained. 01:40:25
Over the course of that five years, we retained about 75%. 01:40:27
Of the study participants, which I thought was was really incredible. It shows the interest I think and the enthusiasm that. 01:40:31
That people had for the project. 01:40:38
And I do think it was really valuable, as we'll see. 01:40:40
Here what did we test for? The main things were nitrate chloride, which. 01:40:43
Change because mainly of land use impacts things that we do on the land surface. 01:40:47
Whether it's agricultural activity. 01:40:52
Development. 01:40:55
Road salt influence in the case of chloride. 01:40:56
There's other things that we looked at because it helps us distinguish or interpret the results. 01:41:00
Things like hardness and alkalinity that are impacted by the rocks or the soils. 01:41:06
And then conductivity, which has some other applications as well. These were all tests that were included. 01:41:12
I'm going to focus on the nitrate and the chloride because I think those are. 01:41:17
Of probably most interest to this committee. 01:41:20
Chloride naturally is low, although I suspect there's some naturally occurring. 01:41:23
Elevated chloride due to the soils in the geology and in eastern Wisconsin, which. 01:41:29
Might be influencing some of the results, but. 01:41:35
Fertilizers, mainly potash. 01:41:37
Plants like the potassium, but it's often in the form of potassium chloride. 01:41:40
Which chloride is highly leachable? 01:41:45
Human waste. Because of all the salt that we consume, we excrete a lot of chloride. 01:41:48
There's chloride brine. 01:41:53
Due to the softening process which might come from septic systems. 01:41:55
And then again, Rd. salt influence is another reason why it might be elevated. 01:41:58
What we saw were about 9% of wells tested greater than 100 milligrams per liter. 01:42:03
When we get levels above that, a lot of times it is. 01:42:10
We can kind of find some evidence that it's attributed to. 01:42:15
To kind of Rd. salt. 01:42:18
Use or maybe impervious surfaces parking lots. 01:42:21
That are getting those those treatments during the winter months. 01:42:25
28% of wells tested less than 10, so I do think there's some. 01:42:28
Some somewhat elevated concentrations just due to naturally. 01:42:32
Occurring chloride deposits in the mineralogy. 01:42:37
But you'll notice that from year to year the the graph on the lower right. 01:42:40
From year to year, if we were to look at just the average chloride concentrations. 01:42:45
At a county level, those blue dots are the average. 01:42:50
The box plots that that horizontal line are the median, so the median is essentially 50% of the values. 01:42:54
Are above that. 50% of the values are below that. 01:43:01
It's similar, but a little bit different than than thinking about it in terms of an average. 01:43:04
If we look at that average, it's it's tough to see much variability at a county. 01:43:10
Level, which is why we focused on on testing the same wells. 01:43:15
And we'll look at that information in a little bit. 01:43:19
But you you do notice that the. 01:43:22
You know the the town of Beaver Dam. 01:43:24
You know, does show some of the highest concentrations. That's not surprising given. 01:43:27
That's probably the part of the county with with the most impervious areas or the most development. 01:43:32
Associated with that. 01:43:38
If we look at trends. 01:43:40
So these are the the individual. 01:43:42
Locations and the the circles. 01:43:44
The yellow dots are are no trend. 01:43:48
The red dots are increasing trends and the blue dots are are decreasing trends. 01:43:51
There were more. 01:43:56
Wells increasing with respect to chloride. 01:43:57
Then decreasing the vast majority of wells you'll see do not show. 01:44:00
Change, or I should say trends, it doesn't mean that they're not variable, it just means that they're not changing. 01:44:05
In a repeatable way, meaning increasing or decreasing. 01:44:11
When I look at where? 01:44:15
A lot of the wells with trends are occurring. 01:44:17
You know, it does appear to be in areas where we have. 01:44:20
Impacts. 01:44:24
That may be attributed to Rd. salt activity. 01:44:25
But again, I think the vast majority of wells, 85% not showing. 01:44:29
Repeatable changes with respect to that, but some information that could be helpful. 01:44:34
Down the line and interpreting or understanding why. 01:44:40
These changes might be happening in certain areas. 01:44:43
If we look at nitrate. 01:44:46
This is important because it does have health considerations associated with it. 01:44:48
Levels less than 10 are are suitable for drinking greater than that. 01:44:53
We don't want that water to be used by infants or women who are may become pregnant. 01:44:58
We do want everyone to avoid long term consumption of nitrate above 10 as well because of. 01:45:03
Things like thyroid disease or potential increased risk of certain cancers. 01:45:08
Here the sources are agricultural fertilizers, animal waste or other biosolids. 01:45:12
Subject systems as well as you know, lawn fertilizer to a lesser. 01:45:17
Degree. Umm. 01:45:22
Naturally, we'd expect nitrate to be less than probably 1 milligram per liter. 01:45:24
Greater than 10 is is where we we really do urge some caution. 01:45:29
In terms of drinking water? 01:45:33
But then between 1:00 and 10:00. 01:45:35
You know, definitely some. 01:45:37
Diagnostic information that helps us understand how. 01:45:39
How land use might be impacting groundwater in certain certain areas. 01:45:42
If we look at the summary over the five years, you'll see. 01:45:47
Again, that average concentration remains relatively. 01:45:53
Consistent between 1.5 and. 01:45:56
Milligrams per liter. 01:46:00
Some of that change. 01:46:02
You know this is a summary of all the results. 01:46:04
Which you'll see the number that N is the number of samples is decreased. 01:46:07
Overtime. So there there is some some movement. 01:46:13
Or some variability because of, you know, different populations being sampled, smaller population or sample sizes. 01:46:17
But generally speaking, the overall. 01:46:25
Summary at the county level is is pretty similar. 01:46:28
There was, you know, the maximum concentration. 01:46:31
This most recent year and one of the wells was was quite a bit higher than we've seen. 01:46:35
I don't know. I haven't. 01:46:40
Looked specifically at that well in much detail to know what. 01:46:42
If anything, we might be able to see happening in the vicinity of that well, that hood could help explain that. 01:46:45
That was an anomaly when we. 01:46:51
When we look at most of the samples. 01:46:54
The percent exceedance. 01:46:57
You know, was as low as. 01:46:58
And this year it was 7%. 01:47:01
To put that into perspective, the statewide average for nitrate exceedance above 10 is about 7-7 to 8%. 01:47:05
So Dodge County as a whole? 01:47:12
Is on par with that percent exceedance. 01:47:15
When it comes to the average, particularly for an agricultural county. 01:47:18
The average and the median concentration of nitrate is actually quite. 01:47:24
Low. 01:47:29
And I think the map on the lower left showing the the municipalities. 01:47:30
Does a pretty good job of highlighting that. 01:47:36
The counties or the I should say the municipalities in blue probably have a much lower. 01:47:39
Risk lower. 01:47:44
You know chance or prevalence of of elevated nitrate in private wells. 01:47:46
If you look to the northwestern quadrant. 01:47:52
Town of Lamira, I would also say has some additional concerns. We had a low population. 01:47:56
Little sample size there, but that is another area of the county where. 01:48:01
I think umm uh. 01:48:05
Oftentimes shows up as having a greater prevalence of nitrate. 01:48:06
These are some other ways to summarize it if people are are interested in looking at it. 01:48:11
At a municipality range, so. 01:48:16
Again, tonal Amira. 01:48:19
Town of Fox Lake. 01:48:21
Town of Trenton I think are the the three most. 01:48:22
Probably. Likely. 01:48:26
To warrant. 01:48:28
You know, further nitrate monitoring if that was something that the the the county chose to do. 01:48:30
But there's some additional detail pieces of information that could be useful as. 01:48:35
You discussed this moving forward. 01:48:40
The other thing we did was we created models so. 01:48:42
Using the results. 01:48:46
Trying to develop statistical models of the soil. 01:48:48
And the land use. 01:48:51
We applied that information to create these predictive tools. 01:48:53
So what you're seeing here is, is looking at nitrate risk as a function of individual parcels. 01:48:57
Each parcel was assigned a risk tolerance based on. 01:49:04
The soils and the land use around it. 01:49:08
And. 01:49:11
The blue areas are low risk. 01:49:13
The orange. 01:49:15
Is starting to get moderate risk and then the red would be. 01:49:18
Probably the highest risk. 01:49:22
Compared to other parts of the county, I think the the risk is. 01:49:25
Is is lower than what we see in places like, let's say the central sand, so it. 01:49:29
It doesn't necessarily. 01:49:33
Mean that these results are high. 01:49:36
With respect to the state of Wisconsin, but with respect to Dodge County. 01:49:38
The areas in red. 01:49:44
Would be areas of of maybe focal point or or additional. 01:49:45
Concern. 01:49:50
How does it compare? These are. 01:49:52
Results from the Wisconsin Well Water Viewer. 01:49:54
So aggregating. 01:49:57
Thousands of results. 01:49:59
You know, maybe even, you know, 10s of thousands of results over the last 30 or 40 years. 01:50:01
What it's showing in the grid cells the the the squares are. 01:50:06
Aggregated information at A1 square mile resolution. 01:50:11
The darker the red, the higher the average nitrate concentration. 01:50:16
So the point being is that I think historically the the data that we have on nitrate. 01:50:21
Does line up pretty well with the predictive maps. 01:50:27
Predictive tools that we created. 01:50:30
As a result of this project with that North. 01:50:32
Western portion of Dodge County. 01:50:36
As well as the northeastern portion tunnel of Myra. 01:50:38
Being areas of maybe more focal point or or concern. 01:50:41
When it comes to trends with respect to nitrate. 01:50:46
We did not see as much. 01:50:49
Trending as we did with. 01:50:52
Chloride, there's some reasons for this that have, I think a lot to do with the types of soils that you have there. 01:50:55
Helping to breakdown or what we call denitrify. 01:51:01
And lower nitrate concentrations. 01:51:06
About 93% of the wells that participated over the course of the five years showed no change or no trend. 01:51:08
There were equal numbers, essentially increasing. 01:51:15
As decreasing. 01:51:19
With respect to nitrate. 01:51:20
This just shows the. 01:51:24
Annual nitrate variability so. 01:51:25
In each of. 01:51:28
The years we essentially. 01:51:30
Are displaying the nitrate concentration as a color. 01:51:32
Or those those very thin vertical bars. 01:51:36
Are essentially the same well. 01:51:40
In each year. 01:51:42
And you'll see on the the far right graph. 01:51:44
You know that color is essentially the same color. 01:51:47
In each of the five years, showing very low variability if your nitrate concentration is less than. 01:51:50
And two or less than one. 01:51:56
The chances of it varying significantly are are slim to none. 01:51:59
But it I think does show or highlight the benefit of. 01:52:04
Of more routine or annual testing for any. 01:52:07
Private well owner. 01:52:10
Whether it's as part of this project or outside the project. 01:52:12
Which is what? 01:52:16
You know, as a responsibility of each individual, well owner. 01:52:18
To do that testing, I think hopefully it provides information to to rural land owners. 01:52:21
As to why it's important to maybe test more routinely than let's say every five years or every 10 years? 01:52:26
Particularly when it's elevated, we can see some variability. 01:52:34
And the previous graph showed that some of those do show. 01:52:38
Trends Overtime. 01:52:41
We did the same thing. 01:52:45
With nitrate. 01:52:47
We did that with chloride as well. 01:52:49
So if we look at the chloride risk map. 01:52:52
You'll see that most of the chloride risk. 01:52:55
Is generally associated with urban areas. 01:52:58
That's not surprising, just given. 01:53:02
The the use of Rd. salt and the inability of soil to kind of breakdown chloride. 01:53:05
As it's moving through the sediment. 01:53:11
Into our groundwater. 01:53:13
So in summary. 01:53:15
I think what we've learned is that the majority of wells do not show trends with respect to nitrate chloride. 01:53:17
There are portions or wells and portions of Dodge County that are more likely to contain. 01:53:23
Elevated levels of nitrate and or chloride. 01:53:29
Even though wells may not have trends, it helps. 01:53:32
I think emphasize the importance of routine well testing for understanding variability from year to year. 01:53:37
But I know. 01:53:42
You know, previous to this study there was a lot of questions. 01:53:44
A lot of assumptions that Dodge County groundwater was. 01:53:47
Was getting worse. 01:53:51
You know, there was a lot of, you know, hope, I think because of all the agricultural practices. 01:53:52
Conservation practices being adopted that. 01:53:57
Groundwater quality was was getting better. 01:54:00
And I think it's maybe a little bit of a mixed bag. 01:54:03
It's not necessarily getting worse. 01:54:08
There are some areas where it's it's increasing. 01:54:11
There's some areas where it's decreasing, but hopefully this information I think provides context. 01:54:13
To maybe you know where it might be beneficial to invest resources moving forward. 01:54:19
Or at least prioritizing and being more strategic about. 01:54:24
The outreach to private well owners or or in terms of targeting. 01:54:29
Conservation practices with respect to to groundwater in particular. 01:54:34
Hopefully the information will be useful. 01:54:39
Moving forward. 01:54:42
What's next for the project is John stated this was the last year of funding. 01:54:43
So there may not be any additional. 01:54:48
Steps taken other than you know. 01:54:51
You know the fact that the dashboard will be available online. 01:54:54
At least for the next couple of years. 01:54:57
In its current form, we're going through an update of of this past year. 01:55:01
So it will be updated shortly and will be available for people to view and interact with. 01:55:05
We do have a final report that we're putting together that will be delivered to. 01:55:10
Land Conservation Department summarizing the five years of data. 01:55:15
So that it can be archived for future reference. 01:55:18
And if interested in discussing potential future. 01:55:22
Next steps related to this work. 01:55:26
You know, I just came up with three possibilities. It might be no further action. 01:55:29
At this time. 01:55:33
There could be discussions about pursuing additional funding to continue testing. 01:55:35
The existing network of private wells. 01:55:39
To see if there's additional information that could be gained. 01:55:43
Or, you know, there's another possibility of altering the sampling strategy based on funding. 01:55:46
Or priorities to be a little bit more strategic, maybe it's not necessary to look at the. 01:55:51
The entire county. 01:55:56
In that level of detail, but are there specific parts of the county that might? 01:55:58
Might be beneficial to continue looking at. 01:56:03
We're altering the strategy for for additional or different goals. 01:56:06
I will leave it there. I just want to make sure to acknowledge the the Dodge County Board. 01:56:13
The Dodge County Conservation Extension Committee. 01:56:18
John's department as well as Department of Human. 01:56:21
Health and Human Services. 01:56:25
That have been instrumental with supporting some of this work. 01:56:27
OK. Thanks, Kevin. If you guys have any questions for him? 01:56:35
I have one question on that map. I don't know if I read it correctly, but it seemed like neighboring counties, Dane and Columbia 01:56:39
had higher nitrate levels than Dodge. 01:56:43
Did I read that correctly? 01:56:48
And if so, why? 01:56:50
Yeah, it it so this this viewer is publicly available as well, so. 01:56:52
You can't explore that on your own, but but you are correct. 01:56:58
As you go West towards Colombia and and and Dane County. 01:57:02
The geography, the the soils. 01:57:08
Are quite a bit different, you know, the soils become well drained that landscape is. 01:57:11
What we would call internally drained, so it's, you know, Prairie pothole. 01:57:16
Which the water is not running off into. 01:57:21
Rivers and streams. It might be running off into low spots. 01:57:24
Where it has a greater ability to soak in and and and end up. 01:57:28
In the groundwater. 01:57:32
So it's, it's largely I think due to. 01:57:34
Soils and and geography a little bit. 01:57:38
The types of agriculture. 01:57:41
May play a role as well, but I think a lot of times the types of agriculture. 01:57:44
Are often dictated by the landscape itself. 01:57:49
But you are not incorrect in your assumption that. 01:57:52
You know, for. 01:57:56
Much agricultural activity that Dodge County sees. 01:57:58
With respect to groundwater quality in this question of nitrate. 01:58:04
It does fare quite well. 01:58:08
Relative to some of its neighbors to the West. 01:58:10
There's implications obviously for for surface water. 01:58:17
I think that a lot of the previous conversations today alluded to. 01:58:21
You know, challenges for for managing water. 01:58:25
Running off over the surface, but with respect to groundwater. 01:58:28
I think you can kind of see that Dodge County, you know, there's, there's parts of the county that. 01:58:33
Groundwater might be a higher priority. 01:58:37
Than than others. 01:58:41
I have a question. 01:58:47
Hi, this is Lisa Durr and I'm asking. 01:58:49
You know, in the past, are you saying that? 01:58:52
If you. 01:58:56
From the little I've listened at the seminars, it sounded like you. 01:58:58
Were found the counties. 01:59:04
Who repeated the study with the same testing? 01:59:07
Had the best ability to make inferences about the long term because you didn't start changing the pattern of testing and that's 01:59:11
just another factor to be introduced in that. 01:59:16
You even congratulated and I can't remember the county. 01:59:21
I think there were two. 01:59:25
And we were one and they did this really long time, but you congratulated them because they continued the same testing over a long 01:59:26
period of time. 01:59:30
Do you remember that county? 01:59:34
I I do there's there's a couple, there might be some that were added, but it's. 01:59:36
Chippewa, uh. 01:59:41
Green. 01:59:43
Sock and dodge. 01:59:44
I really think have been leading the way and helping. 01:59:46
Other counties, other communities. 01:59:50
See the value in in this type of strategy. 01:59:52
I get the question a lot from different counties wanting to know. 01:59:57
Is our groundwater quality getting better or worse? And there's a lot of. 02:00:01
Hyperbole. Sometimes there's a lot of inferences made. 02:00:05
But. 02:00:09
When it comes down to it, most communities just have not been collecting this information. 02:00:09
In a reliable, repeatable. 02:00:15
Archivable way. 02:00:18
To be able to. 02:00:19
To have this and I I think it. 02:00:21
Greene County in particular, the information has been. 02:00:24
Extremely valuable at having, I think. 02:00:27
More elevated conversations around. 02:00:30
Conservation and and and agricultural management. 02:00:33
To get beyond some of the. 02:00:37
You know, the unknowns in terms of our things getting better, worse. It really does. 02:00:42
Allow communities to focus in on on areas where it might be getting worse or. 02:00:47
Conversely, if if there's wells that are getting better, what can we learn about? 02:00:52
Land use in the vicinity of those wells that could be replicated. 02:00:57
That is something we probably haven't tapped to tapped into as much as we. 02:01:01
We should have with with this particular data set, but I think is a. 02:01:07
Another thing that I'd like to explore with John, you know, moving forward. 02:01:11
You know, now that we have 300 wells and we've limited it to. 02:01:16
You know, essentially 8% that are trending. 02:01:21
It allows us to be a little bit more strategic in terms of. 02:01:24
Trying to understand what's going on. 02:01:27
Specifically in those areas that. 02:01:30
That can be useful. 02:01:32
So I do want to applaud Dodge County. 02:01:35
Because out of the 72 counties, you're one of four that has really. 02:01:39
Gone above and beyond with respect to. 02:01:43
This question. 02:01:46
So just to follow up, are you? 02:01:49
Saying you can either restrict it to the 8. 02:01:52
Eight places that are trending, you know. 02:01:55
More orange or red? 02:01:58
Or you could can you can do with all the data. 02:02:00
My concern is if you don't do all the data. 02:02:04
Then you miss trending of things that weren't trending in the first five years. 02:02:07
I mean you just you've lost information. 02:02:11
In the future, is that wrong? 02:02:14
Not not wrong I think. 02:02:17
Yeah, I I would agree with that. I mean, in a perfect world. 02:02:21
Every well would be tested annually. 02:02:26
That data would be archived and available. 02:02:29
In in easily accessible ways. 02:02:33
The the question is. 02:02:37
You know, with what? 02:02:39
It costs. 02:02:41
Knowing that we have attrition from year to year. 02:02:42
If we're losing. 02:02:45
20 wells a year. 02:02:47
You know, trying to maintain consistency among those wells. 02:02:50
Gets harder and harder so. 02:02:54
Five years was kind of the minimum I felt was necessary to to get at this question. 02:02:56
If this could be extended indefinitely. 02:03:02
I think that would be great. 02:03:05
The reality is is. 02:03:08
You know, with those wells that are less than one. 02:03:10
I don't, I don't see any evidence. I don't know the likelihood that. 02:03:14
That the majority of them would change. 02:03:18
Or have much variability. 02:03:22
So it becomes a useful data point. 02:03:25
But in a In a. 02:03:28
In an environment of limited resources. 02:03:30
I, I I leave that up to the. 02:03:33
You know, the counties or the communities to decide. 02:03:36
What those next steps would be. But you're, you're absolutely correct. I mean it, it fundamentally changes our ability to analyze 02:03:40
the data. 02:03:43
If we, if we. 02:03:47
If we don't continue testing the same wells or we change. 02:03:49
Which wells? Or we only focus on a subset? 02:03:53
Of the county. 02:03:57
So it sounds like you're saying? 02:03:59
That, umm. 02:04:01
It wouldn't impede the information. 02:04:01
By frankly not continuing testing on wells that are less than 1% and focusing on the higher. 02:04:04
Levels. 02:04:13
With respect, yeah, yeah. With respect to nitrate and chloride, I, I, I do think that's, that's accurate. 02:04:14
OK. 02:04:20
That that would be my professional. 02:04:21
Opinion. 02:04:24
For Dodge County, maybe not other counties. 02:04:25
Thank you. That's what I was looking. The last thing I had is that you said in these counties that were bright red or in these 02:04:31
areas which include our northwest area and I've been on this committee a long time in that northwest area has been bad. 02:04:38
Even before I came on. 02:04:45
And you said we'd urge some caution. 02:04:46
I mean, what does that mean? You send a notice to the landowner? I know that the public restaurant in that area. 02:04:49
UMM does not use their well at all. And that all of the water is served in private bottles. But. 02:04:57
You know they're public. What about the well owners right around there? 02:05:03
I mean, yeah. And I. 02:05:06
That's a great uh, uh. 02:05:08
That's a great question and and I think in terms of how the information could be used like. 02:05:10
When it comes to outreach towards private well owners, if if if staffing resources are are limited. 02:05:17
You know, focusing on those areas where. 02:05:24
Where these issues are more likely, I think make sense either through. 02:05:27
Targeted mailings or. 02:05:32
Or marketing. 02:05:34
You know, subsidizing. 02:05:37
Testing, just organizing convenient testing opportunities. Even if the homeowner has to pay for it, there's things that. 02:05:39
That can be done to facilitate getting. 02:05:46
The information out to those parts of the county which are most susceptible. 02:05:49
To something like nitrate and then. 02:05:55
You know, when it comes to things like conservation. 02:05:57
And in practices. 02:06:00
That would be helpful for reducing nitrate loss to groundwater. 02:06:03
I'm not saying that cover crops are necessarily going to solve it completely. 02:06:08
But if we're looking at. 02:06:13
You know. 02:06:15
Conservation practices being more strategic instead of just random acts of conservation. 02:06:16
Could be helpful and I think this information I think. 02:06:22
Provide some strategic direction for where. 02:06:26
You know where those efforts might have the most utility or the most most benefit moving forward. 02:06:29
Kevin, I think with the budgeting process coming up. 02:06:39
Would you be able to before? 02:06:43
The end of July. 02:06:46
Give me a couple. 02:06:48
Cost estimates if we went ahead with the full five year program as we are now what what that contract would look like. 02:06:52
And another one, if we targeted say we chose all the wells that were five parts per million or higher. 02:06:59
And just targeted those for a five year period. 02:07:07
So we have an idea what what to look at for budgeting purposes. 02:07:10
For sure. Yeah, those they'd be crude estimates. 02:07:15
I'm not allowed to. 02:07:19
Negotiate, yeah. 02:07:21
So when it comes to like final budget numbers, I I just ask for a little bit of grace. 02:07:23
But preliminary numbers? 02:07:29
I should be able to get you in that that time frame. 02:07:32
Understood. 02:07:35
I believe the next county board meeting is July 15th. 02:07:38
I have that date right, Andrew. 02:07:42
I'm sure. 02:07:46
I can verify it right after. 02:07:48
OK. Well, I was wondering, would you be able to come and present to the full county board at the July meeting? 02:07:50
You said July 18th or 15th. 02:07:57
July 15th. 02:08:00
1515. 02:08:01
The Tuesday evening. 02:08:03
Do you sense a? 02:08:05
Negative reaction from the board or just to inform them. I just want to, well, I just want to inform the entire county board what 02:08:07
we've been doing the last five years. 02:08:11
Yeah, yeah. 02:08:15
I will. I will unfortunately be on the road that evening. 02:08:17
OK. 02:08:23
I I'll get back to you John. I might be able to. I just got to check on some things if. 02:08:25
You know essentially what time I'll be back. You said that's an evening meeting. 02:08:31
Yeah, it starts about. 02:08:35
Starts. That's good. 02:08:37
Would August be too late? 02:08:40
To present to the county board? I don't think so. I mean. 02:08:43
'Cause they don't look at the budget until later. 02:08:46
I mean, we could do it in August too. 02:08:48
I mean, I think August would be more. 02:08:51
Probably more convenient or or easier for me to to accommodate. 02:08:54
OK, so that would be the 19th. 02:09:00
Which way? Oh, you get August? Yeah, they're the 19th would be the would be the August meeting. 02:09:04
Yeah, and I'll. 02:09:09
I'll put that on my tentative hold. 02:09:11
OK. 02:09:14
And then you'll get, you're going to get options then from him. Yeah, we'll get some very rough preliminary numbers. 02:09:18
So we can discuss that next month then? 02:09:24
And I wouldn't present that to the county board. I would just say that we're looking at options that'll be in the budgeting 02:09:27
process. 02:09:31
Are you asking for? 02:09:34
When a subset, are you asking at levels over 5? Levels over one What? 02:09:36
Well, that's something that Kevin and I will talk about. I mean, I think if we look at. 02:09:42
At a minimum levels of five parts per million or more, yeah, I think that would be a good placeholder to go if we were looking at. 02:09:47
Targeting versus the entire county wide. 02:09:55
That makes sense, no? 02:09:57
All right. Any other questions for Kevin? 02:10:01
OK. Hearing none, we will move on to the next item. Thanks, Kevin. 02:10:06
Thank you. 02:10:10
Thank you. 02:10:11
Hey John, authorize the five year. 02:10:14
Contract with Decap. 02:10:17
OK. 02:10:19
DACCAP, NRCS, DNR, Fish and Wildlife Service. We have working agreements with them. 02:10:21
To on on how we how the county handles the portions that we handle with them. 02:10:28
It's something that we've signed off and on over the years. The one for the Department of AG Dat cap is coming up for renewal 02:10:34
again. 02:10:38
I've had Kim look at it. 02:10:42
She didn't have any major issues. There was a couple verbiage recommendations she suggested and when I contacted Daccaff they 02:10:44
said, well, this is a we'll put that into considerations for next time. But this is a state contract as is. 02:10:51
So. 02:10:58
I'm I'm recommending that we sign it and send it forward. It's it's nothing major that. 02:11:00
That was a very concern. It's just. 02:11:05
They double reference in different areas about the same thing and she was kind of trying to streamline it. 02:11:07
So so did Kim recommend it as it OK? 02:11:13
OK. Is there a motion to authorize the five years and we will make a motion the contract with that cap? 02:11:19
So moved. 02:11:25
All right, all right. Any further discussion on the contract? 02:11:27
All those in favor signify by saying aye. 02:11:33
Right, those opposed. 02:11:36
OK, OK. I think we'll unless there's objection, we will suspend the land and water video. 02:11:38
Thank you. 02:11:44
Discuss possible research projects on the Dodge County. 02:11:47
Farm, I believe you gave us a couple options last month. 02:11:49
Yeah, what we ended up doing is Will. 02:11:53
And Cameron and Dave trolling and I met and we looked at some of these options and we. 02:11:57
It keeps coming back to. 02:12:03
Where is the equipment coming from if we do a small test plot? 02:12:06
Who's gonna be out there doing the work? 02:12:11
And uh. 02:12:13
We're kind of getting the crunch time now, So what we did is. 02:12:14
We put together. 02:12:18
Request for proposals. 02:12:21
And we put that out, it's available on a website where where the bids are and everything. 02:12:22
It's been out there now. 02:12:27
To where you as a farmer can can come in and put a bid into us. 02:12:29
And it gives you all kinds of options. 02:12:37
I wanna farm the entire farm. 02:12:39
And I wanna try these kind of conservation practices. 02:12:41
That's an option or I want to. 02:12:45
On 10 acres, I want to do a. 02:12:48
Nitrogen study, but on the rest of it I'm on a farmer. 02:12:51
You know as conservation farm, but that'll not be included in it. 02:12:54
So it gives it gives the landowner all kinds of options. 02:12:59
We put a deadline August 1st along with a. 02:13:02
Stipulation that we reserve the right to refuse all offers. 02:13:07
So if if we don't get anything that. 02:13:11
That makes sense to us. 02:13:15
We can say no and at the last minute put it out for for. 02:13:17
Normal rental bids like we have in the past. 02:13:21
Wills on vacation this week, but I did talk to him two weeks ago and he said he had one person contact him already. 02:13:26
With some with some interest in it. So he's talking with him. 02:13:33
But that's all I know right now. I've not had anybody contact my office in regards to this. 02:13:37
He put it out in the Extension newsletter. 02:13:43
It's on the Dodge County website. Our newsletter will be going out. 02:13:47
This week I hope, otherwise next week it'll be included in there. 02:13:52
It was sent out on to the. 02:13:56
Farmer LED group who was sent to them. 02:14:00
So we'll see. We'll see what happens. 02:14:02
I'd be very interested if I was closer. 02:14:08
Yeah, I know. That's that's the thing, you know. 02:14:10
It's gonna be limited to people that are close 'cause nobody from. 02:14:13
Fox Lake or the Myra is going to drive down here to try something. 02:14:16
That they're not doing on their own farm. 02:14:20
All right, we'll just keep this up to date then. 02:14:24
We'll just keep going. Any other questions on that? 02:14:28
OK. Next, we have authorized reimbursement request for debt cap. 02:14:34
Or producer LED Grant. 02:14:39
Yeah. This is just one of the things that they want me every time I request reimbursement from the state for expenses, they want 02:14:41
me to get approval from you guys first. 02:14:45
It's for the farmer LED Grant. 02:14:51
Covers some meeting expenses for this year and it covers mostly cost sharing for their cost share programs from last fall. 02:14:53
It's in the neighborhood. I don't have the numbers in front of me. It's in the neighborhood of $17,000. 02:15:02
So I'm just need your approval for requesting that. 02:15:08
OK, we have a motion to approve. 02:15:13
The dead crib. 02:15:15
The debt cap for producer LED grant reimbursement. 02:15:17
I'll make the motion to approve. Hey, Ben, next motion 10 second. OK. Any discussion on the reimbursement request? 02:15:20
Hearing none, those in favor signify by saying aye. 02:15:30
Aye. 02:15:34
OK, discuss Dodge County's exploration internship program. 02:15:36
OK, just real briefly here. 02:15:40
One of the interns got an eyeful today. I said welcome to Dodge County when I walk by fire. 02:15:43
Oh, you're still here. You came back. 02:15:49
Oh yeah, she didn't leave so OK. 02:15:52
Before baby John, I'll, I'll interrupt and then Yep, go ahead. 02:15:57
This is Mary, Mary Groton. 02:16:00
OK, alright. And she's one of three. 02:16:04
Three of our interns, so she spent today, this morning was with the administrator and that and also as a result of this feeding 02:16:07
happening. 02:16:12
With land on conservation and and a lot of. 02:16:16
Very passionate people. 02:16:20
So that was a good, I think a good experience. See that next week will not be anything like this. 02:16:22
Thomas Yeah, she'll have more time with land water conservation activity. Yeah. 02:16:28
Today and part of. 02:16:33
For most of them are all. 02:16:35
Yes. So we're just about to be. 02:16:38
Heading that way. 02:16:41
And then I'll. 02:16:43
The popping periodically today. 02:16:44
But we are thrilled. 02:16:49
And hammer so. 02:16:51
Enter Enter 2 cohorts. 02:16:52
Out and about today, somewhere else in Dasha. 02:16:55
We'll have Mary next week on Tuesday and Wednesday. We had the first one last week Monday and Tuesday and then the last one will 02:16:58
be the end of July. 02:17:03
What I'm doing is I sit down with him, talk about. 02:17:07
Our department, you know, if they're interested in these are the kind of degrees they need in and what this is, the starting 02:17:10
salary, what the technicians are. 02:17:14
And then? 02:17:18
The the technicians will take them out into the field so. 02:17:20
What's involved with farmland preservation? What does John do in the office? What does he do when he takes them out in the field? 02:17:25
What does Robert do with a nutrient management planning soil infiltration? And what do Dave and Jared do as far as conservation 02:17:29
practices? 02:17:34
So they get out in the field. I try to get them out there as much as I can instead of sitting behind a desk and a computer. 02:17:38
They've actually ran the GPS survey system, the last one did so as long as the weather. 02:17:45
Is is good? We'll get them out and do as much outside as we can. 02:17:50
OK. 02:17:57
I think we'll move on to committee reports and we'll make those a brief because of the length of the meeting. 02:17:59
On lake. 02:18:06
Lake District, obviously you heard that there was a request for money. They need that today. 02:18:08
Most of our meeting was in preparation for Annual meeting coming up in August. 02:18:12
Far as our lake management plan updates our shoreline mapping project. 02:18:18
It's still being worked on. 02:18:22
And they're getting data from drones, which is kind of a neat thing. 02:18:25
In the feasibility study for the lake inlet dredging is about 9090% complete and that that we're waiting on one sediment report 02:18:28
and both projects will be completed prior to the annual meeting. 02:18:33
And and then we also got. 02:18:41
Gets a permit for. 02:18:43
The harassment permit for the birds, I think we're working with LSA to get get one of those permits for a. 02:18:45
Permit. 02:18:53
That's it. That's all I have. 02:18:54
What? What date do you mean? I'm sorry the meeting was on. I'm sorry I didn't. I didn't pre send it. I can send it this afternoon. 02:18:56
My reports was. 02:18:59
June 3rd. June 3rd, 2025. 02:19:04
OK. 02:19:07
Number year or two we realized that the watershed, 90,000 acres would be broken on a club watershed. 02:19:12
He began studying milk crates. Fear creaking. 02:19:18
Break Skype, we continued on and last year. 02:19:21
We looked at Trestle Bay up here S Fox Lake. 02:19:25
And the town of Beaver Dam. 02:19:28
You have the UWW room here, 7 grad students. 02:19:31
And in June? 02:19:35
They work there at the West Shore, Westford. 02:19:36
And the North Shore, which is Fox Lake in parts, right? 02:19:39
So with all of those analysis and stuff. 02:19:42
Sections of the watershed. 02:19:45
We've got to identify 95% of the land and the source into the waste. 02:19:47
We then follow up with sample stations. 02:19:52
Black and orange one. 02:19:56
Now we're taking water samples out of the lake and out of the creeks. 02:19:58
To verify the nutrient load into Beaver Dam light. 02:20:01
And back in 2019 we had a nutrient bound prepared. 02:20:05
With the help of Stevens Point. 02:20:11
And with this 95% coverage, we can qualify that that is correct. 02:20:13
35% of the class person to the lake. 02:20:18
Is associated with the properties around the parcel. 02:20:22
65's already in the light. 02:20:25
That's suspended. 02:20:29
By the carp and by wind wave action. 02:20:31
In by voting action voter activity. 02:20:34
35% is the land mass. 02:20:37
Bringing it up. 02:20:40
We found there are also a lot of positive things happen. 02:20:41
The little Creek here at White Bay. 02:20:45
The producers there. 02:20:49
You, you talk in the veins, have done a very good job of buffering that Creek. 02:20:51
And that water is. 02:20:56
You see the bottom of the Creek. 02:20:58
They have a strong offering, they have strong sanitation protecting that. 02:21:00
Free in the baby into the white. 02:21:04
Brussels Bay. We found that with the carp removal. 02:21:09
You're not seeing as. 02:21:13
Much activity there on the shoreline this year for spawning. 02:21:15
But the clarity is still poor. 02:21:19
We also identified. 02:21:22
Other areas in this area where the WM is practicing. 02:21:26
We're not finding any major issues. There are hotspots where we run away. 02:21:30
So we're seeing a 35%. 02:21:34
Is controllable, you know, looking at. 02:21:37
Small adjustments to the land. 02:21:39
Again, the 55%. 02:21:42
From the legacy to the target that somebody else needed, the DNR has to approach and troubles with. 02:21:44
Kind of is a historic note. 02:21:54
Our first piece of information. 02:21:57
Was provided by. 02:21:59
Bye, Mark. Thank you. 02:22:02
We started with. 02:22:04
He recruited. He took it from the way up to the edge of the county line. 02:22:07
We start looking with that. 02:22:11
910 years ago. 02:22:14
Tried to identify the layer of buffering into the Creek and he identified that it was pretty well buffered and so is today. 02:22:15
For this kind of historic note that Mark started with this kind of started on the analysis. 02:22:23
I mentioned we did the analysis of. 02:22:38
Not obey. That was the pointer stuff survey looking for any vegetation in that day. 02:22:41
And it's not very prosperous. 02:22:46
Very little amount of vegetation. 02:22:49
In July. 02:22:51
We're going to take our vote and do a transect of the way. 02:22:52
And look at the bottom. And look at the reputation. 02:22:56
So with that completion, we'll have the Lake Dud and the ground around it, the 98,000 acres. 02:22:59
Pretty well identified. 02:23:06
Where we can with 100% insurance. 02:23:07
Have some idea of the nutrients based going into the way where we have to spend our time. 02:23:10
I have a question. 02:23:20
What does that mean? 55% DNR has to do something. What does that mean? 02:23:24
Means they have to control the roughfish population because they resuspend the process of the Bombay. 02:23:28
You excreted out. 02:23:34
And that's where the 65% is coming. 02:23:36
The analysis back in 2019 identified that half of the nutrient base into the lake. 02:23:39
Have you made any improvements with the state? 02:23:46
Or I should say breakthroughs like on They're gonna give a presentation at the annual meeting with their proposal. 02:23:49
And. 02:23:56
It'll probably be inadequate to control fish. 02:23:57
They have a presentation that we've asked them to offer to identify what they're willing to do. 02:24:08
OK. 02:24:18
Go ahead. 02:24:19
I was too busy farming so I could not attend the June 12th meeting. 02:24:21
So. 02:24:24
The only thing I have is the new local ordinance. 02:24:25
Not does not say any weight votes are not allowed. It's got weight enhancement is prohibited. 02:24:30
And they're already posted around the lake. I can pass around a copy of the sign. 02:24:36
What does that mean? 02:24:41
I've never heard that wake enhancement. 02:24:42
There's an ordinance that you cannot make. 02:24:44
Weak enhancements on the on Fox. 02:24:48
Read the ordinance. 02:24:52
I mean I don't get that. Like no wake means you drive your boat and provide no way. I don't get what a wake enhancement means. 02:24:53
Like it means the weight ball can go on the lake but they can't fill their ballast full of water to make the wake. 02:25:01
OK, so it is like for for these lake boats to not have a lake? 02:25:06
The bolt can go on. They just can't use their ballast. I think that's kind of the you can still use your boat, you just can't do 02:25:11
that, right? Is that correct? OK. 02:25:16
How do you communicate that to people? 02:25:21
We had to. 02:25:24
They had to adjust the ordinance so that. 02:25:25
I think Dodge County sheriff. I know he can enforce in Beaver Dam lake too. Wait. 02:25:28
I just got this and I get it now because it says use of ballast tank bags. What contributes? 02:25:32
It says it on the sign. 02:25:38
Thank you. 02:25:41
Can I ask you a question about me? Very much the phone. 02:25:43
In the town of Beaver Dam. 02:25:46
OK. Moving on to upcoming events, John, you got the Southern area tour. 02:25:52
Yeah. And I forgot to include in there the NACD summer tour of the National Association of Conservation Districts. 02:25:57
Is coming to Wisconsin in July. They will be in Milwaukee. 02:26:05
The actual conference runs from July 2920, fifth to the 29th. 02:26:10
You can if you're interested in going. I did not budget for any of this. 02:26:19
So I don't know if if there's gonna be money available through the county to cover your expenses if you wanna go. 02:26:25
Most of the Friday, Saturday and Sunday is. 02:26:32
Their meetings it's. 02:26:36
Logistical stuff. 02:26:38
But Monday is when they had the presentations from. 02:26:40
Amy from Dane County is gonna be there. 02:26:44
Danny Hessler from the producer LED group is gonna be there. 02:26:48
And Mary Joel Gingras, who is a county con up north, she's going to be there talking about conservation practices and then, you 02:26:53
know, have some tours going on. What's the name of the conference again to look it up? NACD summer tour. 02:27:00
National Association of Conservation Districts. 02:27:08
OK, next meeting. 02:27:13
July 28th. 02:27:15
830 everyone good? 02:27:16
Any future agenda items other than the. 02:27:21
LSID funding. 02:27:24
OK, the agenda is complete, therefore I call the meeting adjourned. 02:27:28
Thank you. 02:27:33
Thank you, John for stepping in. 02:27:36
You did a very good job. What's that? You did that very good. Thank you. 02:27:40
OK, I don't know if Larry wanted to get paid. 02:27:44
I know we stayed for just a minute ago. 02:27:47
2 seconds. Mary just left, but he was here for the whole meeting. 02:27:53
What? What motion? 02:27:59
Yeah, I know. 02:28:02