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Saving Delavan Lake: A call to action

Photo

In the 1970s and early '80s, water quality in Delavan Lake had deteriorated to the point that there were severe algae blooms and excessive rough fish populations.

A healthy Delavan Lake is crucial to Walworth County's economy. File photo.

Editor's note: Delavan Lake was not always the pristine gem and economic engine that it is today. This four-part series, first published in Walworth County Sunday, examines efforts to keep this natural treasure healthy.

DELAVAN LAKE -- Thousands of residents and visitors alike take advantage of the myriad year-round recreational activities that Delavan Lake offers.

However, the popular body of water was not always the pristine gem and economic cog in Walworth County's huge tourism machine that it is today.

[Read the full story in the June 26, 2011 e-edition of Walworth County Sunday, HERE.]

That's why more than a dozen governmental bodies and organizations are taking George Santayana's wise words to heart: Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

The Delavan Lake Watershed Initiative Network, or WIN, was created to change the approach to many of those issues. The network is a coalition of municipalities and organizations created in 2010 with a goal of protecting the lake from industrial, agricultural and storm water pollution.

In the 1970s and early '80s, water quality in Delavan Lake had deteriorated to the point that there were severe algae blooms and excessive rough fish populations. A major reclamation effort, and subsequent maintenance projects, have helped prevent another such step backward, and area officials and environmental leaders are working to see that it stays that way.

"The water quality left a lot to be desired, so the fishing was down and the native plants and entire ecosystem were in bad shape," said Mary Knipper, who along with husband John has vacationed or lived on the lake since 1974.

"Fortunately, the community recognized that we were in dire, dire trouble and something had to be done. So in the mid-'80s, a huge partnership of federal, state and local officials, scientists and agencies was formed and put a plan into place. By the early 1990s, water quality was incredible again."

Knipper is past president of the Delavan Lake Improvement Association (DLIA), and it was during that time that she initiated the watershed proposal.

"Since then, we've had a lot of good maintenance efforts around the lake, that whenever there was a crisis or a trend, we'd address it," Knipper said. "But we needed to see the bigger picture. We needed a watershed-based plan, and we never got around to it back then."

Taking a broader look is crucial to the future vitality of the 2,100-acre Delavan Lake. But it's even more important when one considers that the watershed covers 26,000 acres in several townships.

Read:

• June 26, 2011: A call to action to save Delavan Lake

• June 27, 2011: Network promotes health of Delavan Lake

• June 28, 2011: Delavan Lake dredging project key to success

• June 29, 2011: A history of Delavan Lake restoration

[Read the full story in the June 26, 2011 e-edition of Walworth County Sunday, HERE.]