About

About Tug Lake

Tug Lake lies in the Town of Rock Falls in Lincoln County, Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources maps the lake at about 151 acres (measured). The Department's 1947 survey recorded 159 acres, 2.8 miles of shoreline, and a maximum depth of 21 feet (measured).

The lake is used for swimming, fishing, kayaking, and other recreation by residents and property owners around its shores. It drains through an outlet structure into the Prairie River watershed.

Tug Lake County Park, owned by Lincoln County, gives the public access to the lake.

About the District

The Tug Lake District is a public inland lake protection and rehabilitation district organized under Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 33. It is a special-purpose unit of local government with the authority to levy taxes, enter contracts, and carry out projects for the protection and rehabilitation of Tug Lake.

Who Decides

The people who own property or vote within the District hold the final say. They meet once a year at the Annual Meeting, where they approve the budget and any tax levy and elect commissioners.

The Board of Commissioners runs the District between Annual Meetings. It has five members, and all five vote.

Two Kinds of Terms

Every commissioner holds a seat on the Board. The Board's three officers are chosen from among those commissioners. The seat and the office are separate, and each has its own term.

A seat is the place on the Board itself. Three seats are filled by election at the Annual Meeting, by secret ballot, for three-year terms. The terms are staggered, so one elected seat is normally filled each year. The other two seats are filled by appointment: one member is appointed by the Town of Rock Falls and one by Lincoln County.

An office is the job a commissioner does on the Board: Chairperson, Secretary, or Treasurer. Under Wisconsin law, the Board elects its three officers from among its members immediately after each Annual Meeting (Wis. Stat. § 33.29(3)). An office therefore lasts one year, from one Annual Meeting to the next, even though the seat lasts three. A commissioner may be chosen for the same office again, year after year, as long as they hold a seat.

Board of Commissioners

The three officers were elected by the Board on August 29, 2026, immediately after that year's Annual Meeting. All three offices come up for election again immediately after the 2027 Annual Meeting.

Treasurer Don Olson has announced that he plans to step down on April 1, 2027. The Board has adopted a plan to prepare for the change.

To reach the Board, see Contact.

Our Mission

The Tug Lake District protects and improves Tug Lake. We study the lake, plan with the community, and act on what the science shows and our community decides.

Our Vision

A clean, healthy, and resilient Tug Lake that is safe for recreation, sustains its fish and wildlife, and is cared for by a connected lake community, for present and future generations.

The Scope of Our Work

The Tug Lake District is a public lake district under Chapter 33 of the Wisconsin Statutes. The law gives it one purpose: to protect and rehabilitate Tug Lake. Everything we do serves that purpose, including studying the lake and its watershed, working with willing farm and shoreline owners, keeping residents informed, bringing the community together, and keeping the records and training that let the District do this work well. We do not take on work outside that purpose.

Our History

How residents, volunteers, and scientists came to understand Tug Lake, and how the District was formed, is told on the History page. For a year-by-year account, see the Tug Lake Timeline.