
Dane County Executive Joe Parisi talks about the launch of a four-year dredging initiative Thursday at the Lottes Park boat launch in Monona. The project will target the stretch of the river between lakes Monona and Waubesa this summer.
Dane County this summer is kicking off an expansive four-year effort to dredge the Yahara River and reduce future risks of flooding like the county experienced two years ago — potentially lowering the river’s chain of lakes by a foot.
The county’s Sediment Removal Project will target the stretch of the Yahara River between Lake Monona and Lake Waubesa in a first phase this summer and fall, removing up to 40,000 cubic yards of sediment, or 3,000 dump trucks worth of soil, before dredging the river further downstream in future years.
The project is expected to wrap up in the fourth summer on the river’s stretch between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona where it cuts across Madison’s Isthmus.
In response to devastating flooding in August 2018, the dredging effort is aimed at improving the lakes’ water flow and increasing their storage capacity. It is expected to cost the county between $10 million and $15 million when complete.
While residents of central Michigan continue to grapple with severe flooding from recent rains that overtook dams, the current risk of flooding remains low in Dane County, said John Reimer, assistant director of the county’s Land and Water Resources Department.
Lake Monona is 2.3 feet below the 100-year flood level and 3.2 feet lower than the height it hit in 2018, he said.
“Over the past couple of years in particular, we certainly have seen a manifestation of the effects of climate change, we’re seeing more rain events, we’re seeing rain events of greater intensity and greater duration,” Dane County Executive Joe Parisi said at a news conference Thursday at the Lottes Park boat launch in Monona, where dredging equipment is being set up.
The county awarded a $3.25 million contract to Houston-based Dredgit Corp. to remove sediment between lakes Monona and Waubesa this year.
But going forward, the county intends to purchase its own hydraulic dredging equipment and hire four employees to complete the sediment removal south of Lake Waubesa up to Dane County’s border with Rock County and finishing off between lakes Mendota and Monona.
The work is being divided into five phases.

The project is one of several efforts launched by Dane County and other municipalities to mitigate the risk of flooding after a deluge of rain nearly two years ago killed a man, swamped thousands of homes and businesses and threatened to submerge large swaths of the Isthmus.
On Aug. 20, 2018, a powerful storm parked over Dane County and dropped more than a foot of rain in places, causing rivers and creeks to run their banks in the western half of the county and flash flooding in urban areas.
For weeks following the downpour, a near-record high Lake Mendota slowly drained through the Yahara River and the three lakes farther south — Monona, Waubesa and Kegonsa — causing prolonged street flooding on Madison’s Isthmus and in Monona and other low-lying areas around the lakes.

Dane County is paying a Houston-based contractor $3.25 million this summer to complete the first phase of a four-year, $10 million to $15 million project to dredge the Yahara River.
County officials said the slow flow of the river at the time was one of the main reasons the threat of flooding lasted so long and why sandbagged properties could still be seen well into the fall of 2018.
“Our lakes have reached a point where they just can’t handle that load,” Parisi said. “We can’t get the water moving through the chain of lakes fast enough to stave off flooding in many events.”
Reimer said the county conducted modeling that shows the lake levels would have been 12 inches lower if all the sediment intended to be removed as part of the project had not been in the Yahara River when the 2018 storm hit.
For a clear channel
Parisi said the county will remove sediment between the Tenney Park Lock and Dam at Lake Mendota and where the river enters Lake Monona last so there can be a clear channel downstream to avoid further flooding of the Isthmus.
“It’s an important milestone,” Parisi said. “We’re really excited to be at this point where we can start taking some concrete action to protect our communities from the type of flooding that we saw just two summers ago.”
The dredging could start showing results even after this year.
Reimer said the lake levels set by the state Department of Natural Resources for Monona and Waubesa are about 2 inches apart. But on average, he said the lake levels between the two bodies of water differ by 6 inches.
After the first phase this summer, those levels could be more in line with the state’s order, Reimer said.
Parisi said he hopes the change means reduced risk of flooding for Monona and other areas in the county.
‘Suck the Muck’
The sediment removal project on the Yahara River is separate from another county initiative known as “Suck the Muck,” which started in June 2018.
That $12 million project, which also makes use of hydraulic dredging, is aimed at removing phosphorus-laden sludge from the bottom of creeks and streams that feed into the Yahara River and contribute to the perennial toxic algae blooms fouling up the county’s lakes.
The equipment needed to remove sediment between Monona and Waubesa, including a hydraulic dredging barge and pipes to transport the sediment, are still being set up. Removal could begin in two or three weeks.
The Habitat

The Habitat was a research vessel deployed by UW-Madison scientists from 1975 to 1986.
The Habitat

The Habitat, a research vessel formerly used by UW-Madison scientists, sits at the bottom of Lake Mendota.
Habitat interior

The interior of the research vessel Habitat is shown at the bottom of Lake Mendota.
Ice shanty

The structure of this ice shanty remains mostly intact at the bottom of Lake Mendota.
Sunken boat

This sunken boat was found near James Madison Park in Lake Mendota.
Sunken boat

Red paint is still visible on this boat sitting at the bottom of Lake Mendota near James Madison Park.
Old car

A diver inspects this old car in Lake Mendota near Picnic Point.
Overturned car

This overturned vehicle is one of two cars at the bottom of Lake Mendota off Picnic Point.
Overturned car

This is another view of the upside-down car off Picnic Point in Lake Mendota.
Overturned car

Another view of the overturned car off Picnic Point at the bottom of Lake Mendota.
Abandoned boat

A diver shines a light on a boat abandoned near Picnic Point in about 60 feet of water in Lake Mendota.
Generator

The remains of a generator sit at the bottom of Lake Mendota off Shorewood Hills.
Ice shanty debris

Sometimes people let ice shanties fall to the bottom of a lake or fail to remove them before the lake ice melts. Here you can see a generator, tire and other debris from inside a shanty abandoned on Lake Mendota near Shorewood Hills.
Sunken boat

The bow of an old excursion boat, perhaps a century old, that provided tours sits on the bottom of Lake Mendota.
Diver explores wreck

A diver inspects a sunken excursion boat at the bottom of Lake Mendota.
Smilin' Bill wreck

The Smilin' Bill rests about 20 feet below the surface at the bottom of University Bay in Lake Mendota.
Silt-covered boat

Silt and mud cover the Smilin' Bill at the bottom of Lake Mendota.
Mysterious wagon

A wagon sits at the bottom of Lake Mendota. Divers haven't figured out the details about what happened to lead it to the bottom.
Monona Terrace supports

Posts help support the concrete poured for Monona Terrace.
Ice diving

Ice diving is popular among scuba enthusiasts in the Madison area. Here divers wait for their turn underwater during the winter. Typically divers wear dry suits or pour warm water down the front of their wet suits to be able to handle the chilly water temperatures.
Abandoned dredge

Part of a dredge is left over in Lake Monona.
Weed sprayer

An old weed sprayer, with a paddlewheel, sits at the bottom of Lake Monona in about 35 feet of water.
Boat lift

A sunken boat lift was found at the bottom of Lake Waubesa. The lift was used to raise and lower boats into the lake.
Overturned boat

An overturned boat with motor sunk into Lake Waubesa.
Overturned boat

The overturned boat in Lake Waubesa.
Sunken canoe

Not many canoes sink to the bottom of a river or lake. This one did in Lake Waubesa.
Fish crib

A fish crib in Lake Waubesa helps shelter fish, allowing them to hide and grow to maturity. The cribs, often made by anglers, also make for excellent fishing habitats.
Sunken car

This is one of several cars at the bottom of Fox Bluff in Lake Mendota.
Sunken antique car

This car from the early 20th century could have entered Lake Mendota near Fox Bluff around 100 years ago.
Weed cutter

The remains of a weed cutter sit at the bottom of Lake Mendota.
Sunken car

This is the rear of a car at the bottom of Lake Kegonsa.
Sunken car

A car sits at the bottom of Lake Kegonsa.
Sunken boat

A boat, with its steering wheel still in place, sits in Lake Kegonsa.
Boat mystery

A boat, with motor intact, was found at the bottom of Lake Kegonsa. It's unclear if the boat was abandoned or sank as the result of an accident.
Sunken scow

The "Irish," a sailing scow, was found under about 45 feet of water in Lake Monona where it meets the Yahara River.
Bottle collection

These vintage soda bottles are from Tamara Thomsen's collection, gathered from Madison's lakes.
Vintage bottle collection

Tamara Thomsen collected these vintage beer bottles during cleanup dives in Madison lakes.
The Yahara Lakes: Giants Among Us
The Yahara lakes are the Madison-area's dominant natural feature. They affect our daily lives, yet we may not know them well. This Wisconsin State Journal series examines the history, impact and health of our lakes.
GIANTS AMONG US
The Yahara chain of lakes dominates our landscape. For the past 12,000 years, almost as soon as the last glacier withdrew, people have been dr…
The Yahara lakes are a largely unknown world within our world. Running right through the middle of our lives, they affect us in ways so big and so familiar that that are easy to forget.
The Yahara lakes help quench the human need for contact with nature.
The state christened the Yahara River’s four main lakes with undulating three-syllable names in 1855.
Tamara Thomsen is a marine archaeologist with the Wisconsin Historical Society and has documented hundreds of dives in the Yahara lakes. She a…
Madison's lakes have a long and storied history. Here's a look back at how they have changed over the years.
Wisconsin State Journal photographers capture the stunning beauty of the Yahara River chain.
Images from lakes Mendota, Monona, Waubesa, Kegonsa and Wingra, the jewels in the Yahara River chain of lakes.
Discover underwater oddities such as cars, boats, equipment and other objects beneath the surface of the Yahara lakes.
Why is the water here? The unhurried Yahara River you see today follows much the same path of a very different watercourse that flowed long before the last glacier came and went.
Lt. Gerald Stull's crash is also remembered.
One route travels above ground, the other below.
Lake levels have been rising.
You'll find cars, boats, ice shanties and much more at the bottom of the Yahara lakes.
Native peoples and European settlers have been drawn to the lakes.
It only recently was subject to academic study.
Many were destroyed by white settlers.
White settlers found the lakes attractive, just as did earlier inhabitants.
We asked Wisconsin State Journal readers for their stories and photos about the Yahara lakes. We received a tremendous response. It’s clear th…
Each of us has our own relationship to the lakes, an affection that endures through good times and bad.
The beauty, health and culture of Madison's four lake has inspired timeless art in all mediums.
“If Wisconsin is going to have swimmable, fishable, drinkable water in 30 years, we need better farm policies,” said one researcher. “What we’re doing is not working.”
Madison, Dane County, farmers and others are fighting back against phosphorous and invasive carp. Will their efforts be enough?
Lake levels are rising, and the area may be on the cusp of flooding unlike anything in the last 100 years, according to one expert.
Our everyday actions can have an impact on the lakes we love. Here are some simple things you can do to help take care of them.
Want to help improve and protect the Madison-area's cherished lakes? Several groups offer a way to get involved, including:
The project is one of several efforts launched by Dane County and other municipalities after a deluge of rain in August 2018 killed a man and swamped thousands of homes and businesses.