What a winter we experienced this past season in NW Wisconsin. The “Dunk the Clunk”, broke
through the ice sooner that most everyone thought. Spring must be close as on Thursday, April
4th , I saw 2 younger men sitting in the lake up to their necks by the Eagle Point boat ramp. Guess
they were trying out the idea of cold water therapy.
The Lake District finally received the dredging permit for the North side of Library Lake on Feb.
5, 2024. A permit for the South side was obtained in Feb. 2022. With the two permits now in
hand the BDLMD Funding Committee charged with raising the estimated $550,000 to cover the
dredging cost is formulating various ideas for raising the funds. Services like “Go Fund Me” and
“Venmo” are going to be investigated for possible use. A Match Pledge of $200,000 has been
achieved. The Lake District has a savings and stock account in place for handling all donations.
Any sizable donation is eligible to be considered as a tax deduction. Any donation to the Library
Lake Restoration fund can be mailed to the BDLMD at P.O. Box 232, Cumberland, WI. 54829.
Anyone wishing to donate stock to take advantage of tax opportunities please contact me.
Nezzy’s is planning a Library Lake Restoration 1/2K Run on one of the last two Saturdays in
June. The proceeds from the event will be donated to the dredging project. The latest dredging
permit requires Library Lake to be drawn down by Oct. 1 in the fall prior to the dredging taking
place. A dam will be placed by the Grove Street bridge allowing the remainder of Beaver Dam
Lake to stay at normal levels. The removal of the cattails and sediment will occur in the Jan./Feb.
time period. A bid specification proposal for the dredging project is currently being developed.
By this time in 2025, Library Lake will look a lot different.
The 2024 Eurasian Water Milfoil – EWM permit has been submitted. Based on the July and
Oct. 2023 Aquatic Plant Surveys, only Cemetery Bay has any significant areas with EWM
requiring treatment. Based on the observed plant (weeds) condition in City Bay and Norwegian
Bay this year’s permit is requesting permission to treat these areas to allow for water craft to
operate without having weed issues to deal with. By having the permit approved prior to
knowing the extent of the need for treatment will allow for quicker response than having to wait
for a permit to be issued. The BDLMD website at beaverdamlake.org has the public notice for
the permit request and the permit application.
I have received numerous calls about the lake level. Last year around this time the lake at the
peak was 22 inches above normal. The Lake is currently just above 5 inches below normal. The
lake was approximately 9 inches below normal at the end of Feb. The lake level is lowered each
fall around Nov.1st to help minimize ice damage along the shoreline. The stop logs were installed
at the end of Feb. The side gates were closed this past weekend before the lake level rose to the
point of spilling over the side portals. I know some property owners would like to see the level
stay below normal but the “normal” level is established by the WDNR and managed by the
County.
There will be two BDLMD commissioner openings that will be filled at the Annual Meeting. If
you are interested in becoming involved with the BDLMD please contact me. Also, a BDLMD
Commissioner Nomination Form will be placed in the Advocate around mid- May.
See you on the lake during the coming boating season.