Beaver Dam Lake
Management District

The Aquatic Plant Management Plan (APMP) guides how the Beaver Dam Lake Management District controls invasive aquatic plants and protects the lake’s health and recreational value. Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) was accidentally introduced in 1991. By 1999 it had spread across 73% of the lake’s littoral zone, the shallow area where plants grow. Since 2000 the District has used surveys, targeted herbicide treatments and manual removal to bring EWM down to about 1–3% of the littoral zone. The District’s goal is still zero EWM, and the work continues.

The plan sets out six goals that came from a citizen survey of lake users:

1. Zero EWM in the lake, and curly-leaf pondweed held to 7% or less of the littoral zone

2. Clear navigation channels

3. No new aquatic invasive species coming into or leaving the lake

4. A better fishery

5. Better water quality and a healthier native plant community

6. Education and outreach for residents and lake users

Each year’s work follows a set cycle. Lake-wide plant surveys in summer and fall show where invasives are growing. Next year’s treatment plan and permit applications go to the Wisconsin DNR. Permitted treatments happen in spring and fall, with follow-up monitoring afterward.

The APMP has no end date. The District reviews it every year, adopts it at a publicly noticed Board meeting, and submits it to the WDNR. The District has paid for all of the plan’s work so far and intends to keep doing so.