Yahara Chain Dredging Underway

Joe Parisi, County Executive of Dane County, Wisconsin, said in his latest announcement, that the first phase of our Yahara Chain of Lakes Sediment Removal Project is officially underway.

Image source: Dana County

Dredging equipment is now in the water, working between Lakes Monona and Waubesa.

“We hope to remove approximately 40,000 cubic yards (or more than 3,000 dump truck loads) of sediment,” said Parisi. 

The $3.25 million project will help improve water flow, flood storage capacity, and fish and wildlife habitat in the Yahara Lakes. This location is one of six sites Dane County will target in five phases to help reduce the risk of lake flooding.

The project will use hydraulic dredging to remove between two to three feet of sediment about 50 feet wide and approximately 1.5 miles long. The material will be pumped approximately 3 miles away using a series of booster pumps to land owned by the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD).