How a new $3.7M dam at Sheboygan Broughton Marsh Park will help control water levels and impact wildlife
ELKHART LAKE – The completion of a new dam at the Sheboygan Broughton Marsh Park will be celebrated with a dedication.
The roughly $3.7 million project called for replacing an outdated dam that was reaching the end of its lifespan, around 30 to 50 years old. The old dam was a fixed crest weir structure made of concrete.
It was ineffective in managing water levels, and when they were high, cattail bogs would become loose, float down the water and clog the dam, said Brian Glenzinski, Wisconsin Ducks Unlimited, Inc., manager of Conservation Programs for the Great Lakes Initiative.
The new crest gate dam, however, is equipped with a large, stainless-steel door and two 8-foot side gates to adjust water levels and let materials continue down the river. This structure will deter cattails from clogging up. The management team can also prevent cattails from becoming unrooted by lowering the water level. A full drawdown of the marsh pool levels could allow for further mitigation of cattails, with prescribed burns and other treatment.
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“This dam will restore about 14,000 acres of emergent wetlands as part of the Sheboygan River watershed, and it includes the largest managed wetlands complex in Wisconsin's Lake Superior and Lake Michigan watersheds,” said Andre Carriveau, director of development with Wisconsin Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
The marsh is important for public recreation, wildlife habitat and wetlands habitat, he continued. Some prominent species in the marsh area are waterfowls, muskrats and white tail deer.
The other dam was “a big monolith of concrete,” Glenzinski said.
“We had to go in there and basically bust out and remove all that concrete and put gates in place where that concrete used to be,” he said. “So now we'll be able to chain up those gates and maintain that structure easier long term.”
Concrete dam structures are low maintenance, but typically dams in marshes or other areas meant for wildlife have some type of water level control, Glenzinski said.
Tanner Klein, wildlife biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, said managing the water levels can better support wildlife in the area, like shore birds breeding or stopping over. Water levels could be drawn down, too, if there is a lack of vegetation in some areas of the marsh pool, allowing more light to hit the bottom and spur emergent vegetation growth, he said.
The water levels will be looked at on a year-to-year basis and a full drawdown will be done on a five-year cycle, Klein said.
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Sheboygan County, Wisconsin DNR and others were involved in the dam project.
Various groups were involved in the new dam project: Sheboygan County Planning and Conservation Department, Sheboygan County Conservation Association, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Fund for Lake Michigan, Lunda Construction Co. and Ducks Unlimited.
“I think it speaks to the culture of Wisconsin,” Glenzinski said. “They all saw the importance of the marsh, and we're happy to be part of it.”
Dedication for new dam slated for May 19.
The new dam dedication was set for 2:30 p.m. May 19. The Sheboygan Broughton Marsh Park is at W7039 County Road S R in Elkhart Lake.
Contact André Carriveau at 715-660-133 or acarriveau@ducks.org to RSVP.
Have a story tip? Contact Alex Garner at 224-374-2332 or agarner@gannett.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @alexx_garner.
This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: New Sheboygan County Marsh dam will better manage water, wildlife
