By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
As a concrete decision waits in the wings from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, local officials continue to weigh in and scrutinize plans concerning the anticipated drawdown of the Fox River.
The Norway-Dover Drainage District is spearheading the campaign to drawdown portions of the river. In recent months, Alan Jasperson, secretary and treasurer of the drainage board, said there are a number of reasons the governing agency is seeking the drawdown – the top one being canals that are in dire need of cleaning.
While few areas of the villages of Waterford and Rochester are served by Norway-Dover, officials are arguing the drainage district’s actions will inevitably impact the communities.
Local leaders within the Village of Waterford have been especially vocal about the drawdown efforts – a point reiterated at a multi-governmental meeting in late July that included participation from several local leaders.
With a guiding hand from DNR officials, an effort to seek a compromise between all parties is underway. One sticking point is the exact level of the drawdown.
Waterford Village Administrator Rebecca Ewald said the community is placing a significant investment in its riverfront property, particularly at Ten Club Park, where officials are planning to create a public space that will serve as a focal point in the community.
But in that meeting – which included representatives of the DNR and the drainage district – Ewald also pointed out the village has invested upward of $640,000 toward improvements adjacent to the shoreline to focus on economic development.
Rochester Clerk-Treasurer Betty Novy discussed the village’s position, which has been more neutral, to the drawdown proposal.
In a report delivered to the Village Board on Aug. 10, Novy said she noted, “The concerns of both the drainage district to perform maintenance and the recreational concerns of residents were recognized” at the multi-governmental meeting.
While Rochester’s response to the drawdown plans varies somewhat from the position in the Village of Waterford, officials in Rochester are speaking out against plans to make it an annual occurrence.
The Rochester Dam, which has been a focal point of the drawdown efforts, also was discussed at the recent multi-governmental meeting, though some of the issues concerning the impact extended beyond the Norway-Dover Drainage District.
At the meeting, Novy said the future of the dam came into question for several reasons, including its overall viability and need because of potential impacts from the City of Waukesha’s ongoing effort to divert water from Lake Michigan to the community.
“This will redirect a lot of the water that is currently feeding the Fox River from (Waukesha),” Novy said of the community’s diversion efforts, if they do impact the Rochester-Waterford area.
If all goes as planned and Norway-Dover receives the necessary regulatory approvals, work on the dredging project could begin as soon as this fall, according to district officials.
Norway-Dover is one of five local drainage districts run by the Racine County Board of Drainage Commissioners. It includes the Village of Rochester and portions of the towns of Norway, Dover and Waterford.
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