Crews will spend the summer cleaning sediment on the bottom of streams that feed Dane County’s lakes. They plan to remove 870,000 pounds of phosphorus from 33 miles of tributary streams. The $12-million initiative is called “Suck the Muck,” and County Executive Joe Parisi says it will mean cleaner lakes in the future.
“This is what we refer to as ‘legacy phosphorus,'” Parisi said. “It’s been here a long time, it’s in the streams, and it’s continuing to impact our water quality.” A study concluded that if nothing is done now, it would take 99 years for Madison-area lakes to reach current water quality standards.
WIBA
