Article Submitted by: Fond du Lac County Land and Water Conservation Department

The Fond du Lac County Land and Water Conservation Department received a Targeted Runoff Management grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in the “large scale TMDL” project category. The Land and Water Conservation Department was awarded $364,000 to be leveraged with other funding sources to implement a streambank restoration project of Pipe Creek and to install other agricultural best management practices in farm fields that border Pipe Creek.

They will be working with three private landowners, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to carry out this project.

Data collection, design, planning and permitting will occur throughout 2021. Phase 1 implementation, which is 1,000’ of streambank restoration with one landowner, is projected to occur in 2021 as well. The installation of the remainder of the project and practices are projected to occur in years two and three of the grant.

The entire project area spans just over one mile of stream. Almost 3,000’ of grassed waterways are planned for installation along with the streambank work. Streambank restoration will stabilize currently eroding streambanks through grading banks back to a stable slope and will anchor loose soil through planting seed mixes and armoring banks with erosion control matting, among other bank stabilization techniques. Grassed waterways will stabilize erosion in farm fields through the installation of grassed channels to convey water through the fields and into the stream without causing gully erosion.

This project will reduce erosion from the landscape, which will reduce the amount of sediment and phosphorus entering Lake Winnebago from agricultural fields and streams. The project anticipates a load reduction of over 700 pounds of phosphorus and over 450 tons of sediment from entering Lake Winnebago.

They will post updates and progress on their social media accounts. Feel free to follow along!

Questions? Fond du Lac County Land & Water
Address: W6529 Forest Avenue, Fond du Lac, WI 54937
Phone Number: 920-906-4680
Website: https://www.fdlco.wi.gov/departments/departments-f-m/land-and-water-conservation