General
Call the Tri-Lakes Office 715-325-3250
Here on our Website; See Agendas & Minutes
One is based on tax levy which covers Tai-Lakes administration and the other is for special operations like the weed harvester and maintenance
Tri-Lakes
After 1992 the county took over administration of septic systems. Before 1992 Tri-Lakes has record keeping and administers septic system pumping and inspection.
A special unit of government with elected leaders, annual budgets funded from tax or other special fees, designed to deal with lake management issues. Chapter 33 of the Wisconsin State Statutes was passed in ‘74 to provide for the formation of lake districts. Since then, hundreds of lake districts have been established in the state of Wisconsin.
To protect, rehabilitate and improve lakes. They were created to give citizens the legal authority to work on lake management issues, and the ability to levy special taxes or fees to be used toward lake management.
Lake districts lead activities enhancing the quality of life for residents and property owners through lake protection and rehabilitation. Lake districts operate a variety of lake management activities including: evaluating lake management issues, developing long range lake management plans, monitoring water quality, carrying out surveys and studies, managing aquatic plants, accepting grants and state aid, purchasing or holding property, and helping other units of local government develop land use laws and guidelines.
Yes, the public is welcome to all our meetings. In spring, summer & fall our meetings are every other Wednesday, 9 AM at the Rome Town Hall.
In winter the meetings are once a month. Our Annual Meeting is on the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend. At this meeting we discuss upcoming projects and the new budget.
Yes! We occasionally need volunteers to help with various projects, invasive species education or help with our Annual Meeting. Please contact us at our office to check at 715-325-3250, or attend our meetings.
Weed Harvester
The harvester boats are generally in the water from a week before Memorial Day to the Middle of September.
Weed piles are picked up on Monday’s, unless Monday is a holiday. Then it would be done on Tuesday. Weeds must be at the end of a dock that is at least 20ft long and is sturdy. Weed piles will not be picked up if they are full of sand, or yard waste such as sticks, leaves or lawn cuttings. Weed piles cannot be picked up off of the shoreline.
Please call Tri-Lakes office or stop in during our open hours for an application. This is a part time summer job and basic mechanical experience is required. Best to apply early in the year.
Lake Health
When environmental conditions are just right, blue-green algae can grow very quickly in number. Most species are buoyant and will float to the surface, where they form scum layers or floating mats. When this happens, we call this a "blue-green algae bloom." In Wisconsin, blue-green algae blooms generally occur between mid-June and late September, although in rare instances, blooms have been observed in winter, even under the ice.
Overall, chemical application or using a lake approved herbicide, is an extensive and expensive project. Permits are required and
not always granted for projects. Herbicide application gets rid of aquatic plants quickly but not long term. Most plants re-establish in a year or so or a new plant takes its place.
Using chemical application doesn’t attack the plant overgrowth problem at its source. The source being high levels of nutrients. Efforts are better focused on preventing or lowering nutrients (such as phosphorus or nitrogen) from entering the lake mainly through runoff. The less of these nutrients present in the lake, the slower the rate of plant growth will be.
Our actions that we do on land, year-round (leaves in Fall, salt in Winter) determine how much nutrients go into the lake and factor in to how much plant growth will take place in the lake in Spring/Summer.
The lake issues have evolved over many years and there is no single bullet which will fix our water quality problems. The 9KEP is a ten year program which sets water quality baselines and goals for improvement. All watershed property owners and AG producers have a stake in the plan and our hope is that we will see positive results by the end of the program.
Our DNR Lake Representative is Scott Provost 715-315-0329. The County Land and Watershed Coordinator is Kyle Kettner 608-474-0698.
The Adams County Land and Water have responsibility for enforcing land use ordinances on agriculture land. They also help with shoreline restoration and control the operation of our Dams.
Lake levels are controlled by the DNR. Draw downs have been prohibited because it is thought they are injurious to lake habitat.
The county also has input regarding our lake level.
No, any motor boat driven boat contributes to agitating nutrient rich settlements from the lake bottom which promote weed growth and algae development.
The amount of excess nutrients, temperature, and the abundance of light, is a lake factor into the amount of algae. If it seems one particular year is worse than another, that may be because one year had more excess nutrients, warmer temperatures, or more sunlight in the lake than the other. Excess nutrients typically come from run off water from rain carrying phosphorus, nitrogen, and pollutants into the lake directly or via upper watersheds, lawn fertilizers or raking leaves and grass cuttings into the lake, as well as an abundance of geese. Too much nutrients cause an acceleration in plant growth resulting in an increase of algae.
Leaving long grass or better yet planting native plants along your shoreline creates a buffer. This buffer filters runoff to decrease the amount of pollutants entering the lake. The buffer also slows erosion of your property by the long roots of the native plants holding the soil in place. When mowing right down to the water’s edge, you create a direct path for pollutants to enter the lake, an inviting area for geese, and a weak shoreline is very susceptible to erosion. Healthy Lakes Grants are available to help cover the costs of redoing your shoreline.
Healthy Lakes Program
Healthy Lakes is a grant program funded through WI DNR which provides 75% reimbursement (up to $1,000) for projects that reduce run-off and improve habitat on lake shore properties. There are five practices covered by this grant program, run-off diversion, rock infiltration, rain gardens, native plantings and fish sticks.
The annual deadline for the grant application is November 1st. For those who are interested in more information on planning a qualifying project contact David Trudeau ([email protected] or 715-325-6275).