If you’ve ever hauled a kayak down to Nugget Lake County Park in the middle of a Wisconsin summer, you probably noticed the problem immediately. It’s the muck. That thick, tea-colored sediment has been slowly choking the life out of one of Pierce County’s most beloved recreation spots for decades. It's frustrating. You want to fish for largemouth bass or maybe just paddle around without your oars hitting the bottom, but the lake is literally disappearing before our eyes.
The Nugget Lake dredge project isn't just some boring public works order. It’s a desperate attempt to save a 116-acre reservoir that was never supposed to last forever. Created back in the early 1970s as part of a flood control initiative, the lake has been a victim of its own geography. Basically, every time it rains in the 15,000-acre watershed surrounding it, the Plum Creek and its tributaries wash topsoil right into the basin.
Why the Nugget Lake dredge project is a logistical nightmare
People keep asking why the county hasn't just "sucked the mud out" yet. Honestly, dredging is insanely expensive and complicated. It’s not like vacuuming a rug. You’re dealing with hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of sediment. To put that in perspective, imagine a football field piled several stories high with wet, heavy silt. That’s what’s sitting at the bottom of Nugget Lake right now.
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Pierce County officials have been wrestling with the sheer scale of this for years. The sediment load is heavy. When the dam was first built, the lake was significantly deeper. Now, in the upper reaches of the lake near the boat launch, the water depth has dropped so much that it's barely a few feet deep in spots. If you don't fix that, the lake eventually turns into a marsh. Then a meadow. Then it’s gone.
The primary hurdle is the money. We’re talking millions of dollars. Small counties like Pierce don't just have $5 million to $10 million sitting in a drawer for lake maintenance. They have to beg, borrow, and scramble for grants from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). And the DNR doesn't just hand out checks. They want to see a plan that actually works long-term.
The sediment trap failure
One of the biggest "oops" moments in the lake’s history involves the original sediment trap. It was designed to catch the silt before it reached the main body of the lake. It worked for a while. Then it filled up. Once a sediment trap is full, it stops being a filter and starts being a slide, sending all that runoff straight into the lake.
Cleaning out that trap is part of the ongoing Nugget Lake dredge project discussion. If you don't fix the source of the problem, dredging the main lake is like trying to dry a floor while the faucet is still running. You have to stop the inflow first.
The environmental stakes are higher than you think
It isn't just about boats. The fishing at Nugget Lake used to be legendary. Panfish, bass, even some walleye. But as the lake gets shallower, it gets warmer. Shallow, warm water holds less oxygen. That leads to winter kills where the fish basically suffocate under the ice. It also leads to massive algae blooms. Nobody wants to swim in pea soup.
The phosphorus levels are the real killer. All that runoff from nearby farms carries fertilizer. Phosphorus feeds the weeds. The weeds die, sink to the bottom, rot, and create more muck. It's a vicious cycle that has turned parts of the lake into a navigational hazard.
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Local advocates and the Friends of Nugget Lake have been vocal about the urgency. They see the park's revenue dropping because campers aren't coming back if they can't use the water. The park is a huge part of the local economy in Rock Elm and Plum City. If the lake dies, the park dies.
Mechanical vs. Hydraulic Dredging: What’s the difference?
There’s been a lot of debate over how to actually move the mud.
Mechanical dredging is basically using a giant backhoe on a barge. It’s slow. It’s messy. You have to haul the wet mud away in trucks, which tears up the local roads.
Hydraulic dredging is more like a giant vacuum. It sucks the sediment and water up together and pipes it through a long hose to a "dewatering" site. This is usually more efficient, but you need a massive piece of land nearby to dump all that wet sludge so the water can drain out. Finding that land—and getting the neighbors to agree to have a giant mud pit next door—is a political headache.
What's actually happening right now?
The Nugget Lake dredge project has moved into the heavy planning and permitting phase. You can't just drop a shovel in the water. The DNR requires extensive testing of the sediment. They need to know if there are heavy metals or chemicals in that muck before they decide where it can be dumped.
Fortunately, most tests at Nugget Lake have shown the sediment is mostly just organic soil and clay. That’s good news because it means the "spoils" (the mud) can potentially be used by local farmers to build up their fields. It turns a waste product into a resource. But the logistics of moving it still remain the biggest "if."
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The county has been working on a multi-phase approach.
- Engineering studies to map the lake floor (bathymetric surveys).
- Securing the "disposal" sites for the sediment.
- Applying for the massive DNR Stewardship grants and other federal funding.
- Implementing "upstream" fixes like bank stabilization on Plum Creek to stop new mud from coming in.
Don't expect a quick fix
If you’re waiting for a pristine, 20-foot deep lake by next summer, don't hold your breath. These projects take years. Between the environmental impact statements and the bidding process for contractors, it’s a slow burn.
However, there is hope. Other lakes in Wisconsin and Minnesota have successfully pulled this off. It requires a community that is willing to stay loud and a county board that is willing to prioritize the long-term health of the environment over short-term budget cuts.
One thing is certain: doing nothing is the most expensive option. If the lake fills in completely, the property value of the entire park evaporates. The cost to "re-build" a lake from scratch is ten times higher than the cost of the Nugget Lake dredge project.
Real-world impact on the community
I talked to a regular camper who has been coming here since the 80s. He told me he used to be able to catch limits of crappie right off the pier. Now? He has to row way out past the silt beds just to find water deep enough for the fish to hide. It's heartbreaking for the locals who grew up with this place.
The park staff does an incredible job with the trails and the campsites—the land side of the park is top-tier. But the lake is the heart of the place. Without a healthy heart, the rest of it eventually fails.
What you can actually do to help
If you care about the Nugget Lake dredge project, you can't just sit back and complain on Facebook.
- Support the Friends of Nugget Lake. This non-profit group is the biggest advocate for the lake's restoration. They help fund the smaller projects that keep the park running while the big dredge stuff is in limbo.
- Watch the Pierce County Board meetings. Budget allocations for the Parks department are where the rubber meets the road.
- Practice clean boating. Even if the lake is mucky, don't make it worse. Ensure you aren't transporting invasive species like curly-leaf pondweed, which thrives in the shallow, disturbed soil created by dredging.
- Talk to upstream landowners. Soil conservation starts at the farm. Programs that encourage cover crops and buffer strips along Plum Creek are just as important as the dredge itself.
The project is a marathon, not a sprint. We are looking at a fundamental shift in how Pierce County manages its natural resources. It’s about deciding that this little hidden gem in the coulee region is worth the millions of dollars it will take to save it.
Moving forward with the restoration
The next big milestone will be the finalization of the dewatering site. Once the county has a place to put the mud, the permits usually fall into place much faster. Until then, we keep paddling through the shallows and hoping the winter isn't too harsh on the remaining fish populations.
Dredging isn't just about moving dirt. It's about hitting the reset button on an ecosystem that we've pushed to the brink. It’s a chance to give Nugget Lake another 50 years of life.
Next Steps for Lake Supporters:
Check the Pierce County Parks and Recreation website for the latest updates on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). If there is a public comment period, show up. Public interest is often the only thing that moves the needle on state funding. You can also visit the park office to see the latest depth maps—it’s a wake-up call for anyone who thinks the "muck problem" is exaggerated. Support local conservation efforts that focus on the Plum Creek watershed, as stopping the silt at its source is the only way to ensure the next dredge isn't needed in another twenty years.