The sun is rising on Sunset Drive

By Kathleen McGwin
Over 70 people came to hear the DNR say the words, “the DNR has no intention of draining Buffalo Lake,” and they heard it said by Steven Miller, DNR Bureau Director of Facilities and Lands, as Linda Hyatt, Watershed Supervisor, Dam Safety Program, shook her head in agreement. At the table in the Marquette County Services Center in Montello late Monday afternoon were Hyatt, Miller, DNR Area Supervisor Tom Nigus, State Representative Fred Clark and State Senator Luther Olsen. The purpose of the meeting was to provide information about the recently released draft Major Project Program Statement.

As reported previously, the draft Major Project Program Statement issued by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for the 2011-2013 Capital Development Budget identified the “preferred alternative” to fixing Sunset Drive, also called the dredge bank road in Montello, as the reconstruction of the road and enhancement of recreational fishing facilities along the drive. The road has been closed because testing after the floods of 2008 revealed weakening of the structure. The dam on the Fox River which forms Buffalo Lake includes not just the concrete capped overflow spillway with sluice gates seen off Highway 22, but also the 2,523 foot earthen dike which makes up Sunset Drive.

A member of the Buffalo Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District, Bill Lewis asked about the order, written by Linda Hyatt, that sets a June date for resolution of the problem or requires removal of the dam. Hyatt stood and said, “I’m the one that wrote the memo,” and continued, “Those orders are negotiable if the dam is stable.”

While residents of the Lake District asked questions, fearing the removal of the dam and disappearance of Buffalo Lake, over and over again, the DNR and Representative Clark and Senator Olsen confirmed that their intention is to move the proposed project forward and find the money to do what may be a $4,263,200 project.

Miller said, “This can be done if the Secretary (of Natural Resources) of the agency wants to move this forward. Fast tracking does happen in government.”

Secretary of Natural Resources Matthew Frank, Miller said, sees this as an important issue, placing it in the top of the priority list of projects that need to be done.

“We haven’t made the decision yet,” said Miller, “and there must be deep consideration if the Secretary makes a decision contrary to engineers and attorneys.”

He was referring to the concerns expressed by engineers about using a dam for multi-purpose activities like a road, recreational fishing accommodations and boat launches. When asked what the likelihood was that the dam would be repaired without the road and fishing piers, Miller said, “I don’t have it 100% worked out today, but we want to maintain the fishing and road.”

About the possibility of making repairs, but not including a road and recreational facilities, Senator Olsen said, “That is not acceptable to Fred or I and we will fight to get that,” referring to the road, boat landing, and fishing piers. About the dam and its multiple uses, Representative Clark said, “There is a broader goal in the community that needs to be supported.” It was pointed out that Hyatt’s memo setting a deadline for repair of the dam or requiring its removal helped shoot the issue to the forefront.

Two citizens asked about how the dam will be repaired and Hyatt said that there are standards for design. The engineers will design for those standards. She also said that such repairs are easier to do “in dry” as opposed to “in wet” and that it would be better to draw the lake down for the repairs. She said that the DNR has experience drawing down a number of lakes as big as Buffalo, which is about 2500 acres.

The draft Major Project Program Statement is written to be a decision in the 2011-2013 biennial budget, but there are many steps to maneuver and at the earliest, if approved, work would not begin on the repair until 2012 or even 2013. In the meantime, Miller said that while he doesn’t have the final answer yet, there are internal discussions about whether the boat landing on Sunset Drive could be used before the final repairs are made.

The full draft report is available at the Buffalo Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District website: www.buffalolakedistrict.org.