Disappearing Waters – For Our Lakes and Rivers
By John and Mary Shea & Krista Olson
As a child Mary Shea remembers happy times at her uncle’s cottage on Boelter Lake in Lanark. There were afternoons of swimming and playing in the clear water, and always an evening of fishing to be enjoyed.
But a couple decades ago, Boelter Lake started to disappear, and the fun times on the water soon became distant memories.
The once 52 acre lake is now only 14 acres. It was never extremely deep, with a max depth of 16 feet deep during the good years, though it slowly transformed into a dry bed. Wildlife habitats diminished until there were none left.
First it was the fish, and then the Sandhill Cranes left with the geese and ducks. Last were the freshwater otters, frogs and turtles. But the reason behind the lake’s disappearance- whether natural or manmade- is up for debate.
From its high- water period in the 1960’s, Boelter Lake disappeared into a puddle during 2008 and by 2010 was all together non-existent.
Boelter is a seepage lake and dependent on the groundwater flow it receives. To complicate things further for Boelter, the lake sits on a groundwater divide for the Wolf and Wisconsin Rivers, making it more difficult to recharge from its groundwater sources. Any pumping of the groundwater lowers the water table, which in turn lowers the level at which water flows into Boelter.
Within the Boelter Lake watershed are several large farms that rely on irrigation for their crops. Also adding to the demand was new subdivision built near the lake in 1968.
In the late 1960’s a portion of the lakefront land was sold off in lots to buyers unaware of the lake’s shrinking size. Little concern was taken to ensure the lots created would be of appropriate size for the lake to support the added human demands to the watershed. Most of the purchasers were unaware that Boelter Lake naturally fluctuated from what they saw to a seriously low level that exposed old fence posts where the lakebed was once used for grazing. Prior to the 1960’s, Boelter had just a couple houses, but today 129 acres of homes surround Boelter Lake, most with private wells and septic systems.
Work is being done to address Boelter’s demise. A series of discussions between groundwater users, homeowners and local governments are shedding some light on the problem. In the last three years there has been some minor recovery of the lake and that has given hope to landowners.
Several families, like John and Mary Shea, are also working to make local homeowners and municipal officials aware of the lake’s low levels. Other families are looking at the potential of dredging of Boelter, which would deepen the lake and improve groundwater flow.
There is much debate on what to do about Boelter, but for homeowners on the lake, the answer can’t come soon enough to save property values.
The public at large, too, needs to come to terms with the natural rise and fall of water bodies. We tend to expect water levels to remain consistent, but we should in fact expect water levels to fluctuate. And we need to adjust to those fluctuations.
What can we citizens do about fluctuating water levels? We need to realize that overuse of our groundwater resources will put demands on its capacity. It will lower the water table, and in turn affect other resources. While we can’t completely stop our demand on groundwater, we must learn to curb our demand for it. Excessive water use practices- like leaving the sprinklers on during a rain storm- need to be viewed as a taboo.
Looking at our landscaping practices can also help. Using drought- resistant foliage in our yards will cut our demands for water in the yard. Farmers, too, are seeking refuge from water over dependency; crop rotation along with crop species which demand less water are becoming more popular locally, given last summer’s drought and high demand for water.
When looking at groundwater issues, we can’t spend time assigning blame. But we can spend time spreading the word and educating groundwater users- even if it has to be one property owner at a time.