Dane County Partners with Local Communities to Clean Waterways

December 15, 2014
Melanie Conklin, Communications Director, 608-267-8823 or 608.635.5796
County Executive

 

County Executive Parisi:   $600,000 in County Funds to Help

Middleton, Monona, DeForest on Water Pollution Reduction Projects

 

 

MADISON – County Executive Joe Parisi announced today that Dane County and three local communities are joining forces on projects that will stop tens of thousands of pounds of sediment, including pollutants like phosphorus, from getting into local waterways.

 

The three projects total over $1 million and will construct systems to capture runoff that gets into Lakes Mendota and Monona, the Yahara River and the Pheasant Branch Conservancy.  Dane County is providing more than $600,000 in county-granted funds for the work.  The communities participating fund the remaining cost.

 

“Working together to invest in cleaner lakes and rivers is good for our communities, our economy, and helps ensure future generations have the opportunity to enjoy these waters,” Parisi said.  “Through these partnerships, Dane County and its communities are both enhancing the quality of life for our families and protecting natural resources we so deeply value.”

 

Under grant agreements recently approved by County Executive Parisi and the County Board, Dane County will provide:

 

• $229,337 (58% of total $394,607) to the City of Middleton to redesign and reconstruct two detention basins, preventing nearly 27,000 pounds of sediment from entering Lake Mendota and Pheasant Branch Conservancy.

                  

• $247,028 (68% of total $361,690) to the City of Monona to install two storm water treatment structures to improve the quality of run-off that enters Lake Monona.  This project is estimated to capture more than 8,500 pounds of pollution and sediment that currently gets into the lake each year.

 

• $100,000 (25% of total $407,293) to the Village of DeForest for a storm water improvement project in the downtown.  Runoff from this area is currently is piped directly into the Yahara River.  Once this work is done, an estimated 4,850 pounds of sediment and 14 pounds of phosphorus per year will be kept out of river.

 

Parisi’s budget for 2015 includes an additional $1 million in county dollars to partner with local communities that are looking to make storm water run-off improvements to benefit water quality.

 

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