Lake Management Plan

What the Lake Management Plan Is

A Lake Management Plan is a written document that describes a lake's problems, sets goals for improving it, and lays out the steps the District will take to reach those goals. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reviews and accepts lake management plans that meet its standards.

An accepted plan is required before the District can apply for a Surface Water Grant from the Department. Those grants fund the kind of lake treatment the District is studying.

Why the District Needs One

Tug Lake has a recurring problem with blue-green algae blooms. Some blooms produce a liver toxin. The blooms are fed by phosphorus, some of which washes in from the land and some of which is released from the lake bottom each summer when the deep water runs out of oxygen.

Treating the lake bottom would need a permit and a qualified contractor. A state grant would help the District pay for it, if the District chooses to go ahead. The District cannot apply for that funding without an accepted Lake Management Plan.

The Plan's Five Goals

1. Cleaner water. Fewer, shorter, and milder algae blooms, so the lake is safer for swimming, boating, and fishing.
2. Healthy shorelines. Protect natural shoreline and restore shoreline that has been damaged, for the water, the fish, and the wildlife.
3. Fewer invasive species. Keep new invasive plants and animals out, and contain the ones already here.
4. Measure and adjust. Keep testing the lake, and change course when the results say so.
5. A strong District. Leaders, records, volunteers, partners, and communication that will carry the work past any one person.

Where the Plan Stands

The District hired lake consultant Buzz Sorge in 2024 and LGMP in 2026 to help prepare the plan. The work is organized in six steps.

The District is currently on step 2.

The Six Steps

1. Resident survey. Property owners and residents tell the District what they value and what they want done. The survey closed October 30, 2026.
2. Revised draft. The draft will be revised in late 2026 using the survey results and comments from the Board.
3. Public review. The District gives public notice and holds a public comment period on the draft. The dates will be posted here when the Board sets them.
4. Board review. The Board reviews the public comments and directs any final changes.
5. DNR submission. The District submits the plan to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for review and acceptance.
6. Grant application. With an accepted plan, the District may apply for a Surface Water Grant in the 2028 cycle, if the Board chooses to.

The District will post updates here as each step is completed.