ABOUT US

Photo by Anica Graney

Friends of Koshkonong Creek began with two farmers, one from Cottage Grove and one from Deerfield. They independently worked to improve the water flow of the creek, mainly by removing large tree jams. Once the two met, Dave Muehl and Randy Zakowski, Friends of Koshkonong Creek was formed. Through the cooperation of landowners, the friends began an aggressive plan of removal of large blockages thus making the creek somewhat navigable and improving water flow. By pooling their decades of knowledge about the creek system, it was decided that a long-term plan needed to be developed for the Koshkonong watershed. Thus began the quest to involve neighboring governmental municipalities, landowners, and other interested parties to ameliorate the Koshkonong Creek. It is with this alliance of groups that Friends of Koshkonong Creek looks forward to improving the creek's ecosystem for present and future generations.

FOKC'S GOALS

Koshkonong Creek has undergone minimal maintenance over the years, and with increasing development in the watershed and the effects of climate change, the flow in the creek has increased significantly in the last two decades. Flooding that was once almost non-existent now occurs frequently, making it essential to take action to reverse this trend and reclaim farmland for production. The following steps need to be taken:

• Clean the tree debris in the creek

  Friends of Koshkonong Creek has initiated this step since 2017 with help from Capitol City Water Trails. Tree removal work has started in various sections of the creek upstream from Hwy 73 to Baxter Road. The creek bottom has been cleaned and dredged up to 2 feet to remove sediment build-up. This process will continue until the large Cottonwoods and Box Elder trees are eliminated or controlled.

• Dredge the creek from Hwy 73 to Baxter Rd

  Clearing tree debris from the creek has proven to somewhat alleviate the flooding time period to more normal time frames, but the minimum water level has not returned to the levels that local farmers had historically seen 40 years ago. The higher water level causes additional erosion, which eventually causes more tree falls into the creek, exacerbating the problems further. The minimum water level in the creek will not return to historical levels without active silt removal, so we advocate dredging the creek this year and next year. We recommend the use of mini dredges that are on floats and only suck the muck, which will then be returned to the fields.

• Study and inventory the creek

  Observe the state of the creek as it exists now, and plan for the next 50 years. This is the heart of the study to be performed by the UniverCity Alliance.

• Modify the creek to handle flows

  Make adjustments to the creek so that it can handle current and expected long-term flows. Conclusions and recommendations made by the University Alliance study will be discussed by stakeholders, funding will be determined, and the timing of the construction work to be performed will be set.

• Plan for ongoing maintenance

  Once the creek is cleaned and modified, it is imperative that the creek now become maintained on a regular basis. The neglect it suffered since it had been originally dredged should not be repeated.

By taking these actions, we can help reverse the trend of flooding in Koshkonong Creek and reclaim farmland for production.