Residents ask board to support internet expansion

ELLSWORTH – Pierce County Park Superintendent Scott Schoepp asked the Pierce County Board to consider dredging Nugget Lake, which is filling with sediment, at the Sept. 28 meeting.

The county parks department manages the Lee-Kay Educational Forest, the Martell County Forest, the Ellsworth Demonstration Forest, the Pierce County Shooting Range and the Trimbelle Recreational Area, but the crown jewel is Nugget Lake County Park, home to Pierce County’s only inland lake.

The 117-acre lake, which is encompassed by the 752-acre county park, is the central attraction for visitors, Schoepp said. It provides opportunities for fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking and wildlife viewing, and is bordered by the park’s picnic area. The lake was constructed on Plum Creek in 1972 to help control erosion and flooding, which has saved Plum City and the surrounding area much damage, Schoepp said.

“The economic impact is immense,” Schoepp said of the lake. “And there is a direct correlation between lake-related recreation and park revenue.”

However, the upper end of the lake is filling with sediment again, Schoepp said. In 2007, the county dredged and removed 33,500 cubic yards of sediment from the lake at a cost of $362,186. As the lake becomes shallower, it allows for greater weed growth at or near the lake’s surface, resulting in excessive algae and weeds.

Since the lake is electric motor only, the excessive weed growth has restricted access to the main body of water for boats and other watercraft. As access is restricted, fewer people will use the lake, Schoepp said. Access is basically restricted to the lower end of the lake, diving the lake in two. During ice fishing season, Schoepp tested the lake’s depth and in many places where it had been 5- to 7-feet deep, it’s only 2- to-3-feet deep.

“In addition to the loss of the recreational opportunities for the public, the park would lose a significant amount of revenue over the next several years,” Schoepp wrote in a report. “If left too long, it would become essentially useless as a recreation lake. Eventually the picnic area would be surrounded by a weedy swamp, rather than a lake.”

He also said many park visitors are already finding the upper end of the lake undesirable.

The lower two-thirds of the lake is mostly weed-free with clear water. Schoepp said it’s because the water there is cold, deep and lacks excess nutrients. The lake’s upper one-third is choked with weeds, algae and the water is muddy brown. It’s also shallow, warm and contains excess nutrients and sediment.

The only access for boats and other watercraft is on the upper end of the lake; the rest of the lake is surrounded by steep bluffs with nowhere else to put a boat landing. According to Schoepp, the passageway through the upper end to the lower end of the lake will probably be inaccessible in a few years due to insufficient water depths as a result of excessive sediment runoff. Schoepp’s had complaints from visitors that it’s already nearly impassable.

A vehicle actually fell through the ice this past February, Schoepp said, because the water is shallow and warm, unable to support a good ice layer. The vehicle fell through after weeks of sub-zero temperatures.

Nugget Lake is considered an impoundment lake, Schoepp clarified. The ratio of watershed area to lake surface area is 100:1. This means, runoff from 100 acres of land feeds 1 acre of lake. Natural lakes typically have a 20:1 ratio, which is less problematic when it comes to run-off and sediment.

“The bottom line is that impoundments require periodic maintenance if your desire is to utilize them for recreational purposes,” Schoepp said.

In 1991, a water quality/lake management study determined that between 1972, when Nugget Lake was built, and 1991 that nearly 40 percent of the lake’s water volume had been reduce because of sediment. The study estimated the lake’s upper end would be completely filled in by 2002, without dredging. In response to the study, the county authorized a dredging project, which took 33,500 cubic yards of sediment out of Nugget Lake. Schoepp said he wanted at that time to remove 78,000 cubic yards of sediment, but the DNR wouldn’t allow it. The sediment was piled and leveled on park property and planted with trees and shrubs.

Much of the sediment running into Nugget Lake is the result of streambank erosion along the two feeder streams, Rock Elm and Plum creeks, running into the lake. Streambanks are eroding after the more frequent and powerful rain events that have occurred the past few years, which causes huge amounts of water to rush down waterways at an extreme velocity, Schoepp said. The ideal solution would be to put a lake above Nugget Lake to catch sediment, but that’s not feasible.

The Pierce County Land Conservation Department is planning to explore possible funding sources for watershed improvements to reduce streambank erosion and sediment loading. The LCD will also assist with the initial surveying for the dredging project.

Corrective measures taken already include the installation of dams on park property to prevent sediment loading, farmers reducing tillage and building their own dams, said Parks Committee member and Supervisor Mel Pittman.

The project in 2007 cost roughly $362,000, of which $115,900 was funded by a grant. That resulted in $125,000 being returned to the county’s general fund. Schoepp’s proposal asks the county board to consider re-authorizing the $125,000 to go toward a future dredging project in the next two to three years. It would go toward engineering services, mapping and permitting costs. Schoepp would also apply for grants, though he couldn’t guarantee a certain amount. Incorporating the LCD for surveying, planning and design would allow for in-kind funding, which would reduce the county’s share when calculating final grant allocations.

Schoepp reiterated the lake and park’s economic impact. The campground has 55 campsites and seven cabins, which have been booked solid from April 15 through Oct. 30 the past few years.

Board Chair Jeff Holst said when the DNR didn’t allow for 78,000 cubic yards of sediment to be removed, it was “out of line.” He wants to see the lake preserved for county residents and visitors.

“We either fix or we lose it,” Holst said. “We have made multiple uses out of something that maybe wasn’t designed for that purpose, but it has served the county well.”

County Administrator Jason Matthys suggested Schoepp take his proposal to fund engineering costs to the Parks Committee, who could then recommend it be taken up by Finance & Personnel.

Broadband support

Town of River Falls resident Katie Pata asked the board during public comment time to support bringing reliable and affordable internet access to all Pierce County residents.

“It will never be easier or more affordable to tackle our need for reliable and affordable high-speed internet,” Pata said.

Families were crippled during the early days of the pandemic shutdown, when work, church and school all moved online. Many residents had no way of accessing those essential services. She also spoke of people she knows refusing to move to Pierce County due to lack of reliable internet.

Pata, who grew up in Max, Minn., said the tiny town (which is 60 miles from the nearest grocery store) made an early investment in fiber by using grants and federal funds. Even though it’s a small, rural town, it has excellent internet access for its residents. She hopes Pierce County can do the same.

Town of Trimbelle resident Lisa Mueller said she had two children home during the pandemic, a senior in high school and a senior in college. Both struggled to complete works and tasks online with their internet, especially when Mueller worked from home.

She recounted “almost tackling” ATT workers in her desperation to have high speed internet service brought to her home. Pierce County is a “service hole,” she said. She had to go work in town sometimes, just to have access to the internet.

“Several people I know have been negatively affected by lack of internet,” Mueller said. “Struggling to find a decent connection for internet is not something we should have to worry about anymore.”

Other business

•The board proclaimed its support of the Fair Housing Act.

•The board approved the purchase of a 35ton drop deck moving trailer with hydraulic bi-fold loading ramps. The trailer, from Roland Machinery Company, will cost $78,500.

•The board approved a resolution to accept McDonough K-9’s donation (Worth $17,500) of a K-9 dog and training for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Program. K-9 Jet will replace K-9 Odin.

The fishing pier at Nugget Lake is a popular spot for fishermen to cast their reels, but it may not be so if dredging isn’t performed to remove excess sediment from the landlocked impoundment. Photo by Sarah Nigbor