Lake Ripley Priority Lake Project - 2010
From 1993-2006, Lake Ripley participated as a "Priority Lake Project" through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) Non-point Source Water Pollution Abatement Program. This designation was awarded upon recognition that (1) Lake Ripley was a valuable recreational and economic amenity, (2) the resource was significantly threatened by polluted runoff, and (3) there was a high potential for overall water quality improvements once appropriate pollution-control measures were implemented. As such, the DNR provided the LRMD with technical and financial assistance for the purpose of protecting and improving water quality through the reduction of non-point source pollution.
The Project was administered jointly by the DNR and Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection at the state level, and implemented by the LRMD at the local level. Annual project grants of nearly $72,000 were used to retain staff, cover office expenses, disseminate educational materials, and provide cost-share assistance for the installation of eligible Best Management Practices (i.e., riparian buffer strips, shoreline/wetland restorations, conservation easements, farmland erosion controls, etc.). The Lake Ripley Priority Lake Project lost its state funding in 2006, but the work continues and is financed by local tax dollars. Primary objectives included:
- Reduce phosphorus and sediment inputs by 30% and 50%, respectively.
- Minimize the effects of eutrophication (excessive nutrient enrichment that causes nuisance algae/weed growth, poor water clarity, and other problems).
- Prevent further wetland loss & increase wetland acreage in the watershed.
- Preserve undeveloped shorelands as water quality buffers and wildlife refuges.
- Protect designated sensitive areas that are ecologically significant.
- Promote native aquatic plant communities.
- Protect the fishery and wildlife diversity within the lake and watershed.
- Protect the quality of groundwater resources