Background and Topics
Lake Comus, a 131-acre shallow impoundment of Turtle Creek located in western Walworth County, was the focus of a 2022 comprehensive lake management plan completed by the Commission. As described in this plan, the Lake has low water clarity, sporadic algal blooms, and a poor aquatic plant community while the Creek is highly turbid with a buildup of mucky sediment. Lake Comus, Turtle Creek, and a tributary of the Creek were listed impaired by total phosphorus on the 2022 303(d) list of impaired waters.
To help address these water quality problems, the Lake Comus Protection and Rehabilitation District has retained the assistance of the Commission to prepare a watershed-based nine-key element plan that builds upon the 2022 comprehensive plan. This nine-key element plan will provide additional information on conditions within Turtle Creek, agricultural practices within the watershed, updated pollutant load modeling, and recommendations to improve water quality. In 2023, Commission staff completed a survey of Turtle Creek with the help of a local volunteer and completed a watershed survey with assistance from Walworth County staff.
The draft nine-key element plan is currently in preparation. Implementing the plan will require community coordination, partnership among stakeholders, farmer-led soil health practices, and innovative watershed projects to make progress towards restoring the water resources of the Turtle Creek watershed.
Draft Plan Materials
Materials prepared for the plan will be posted here as they become available.
Supporting Materials
Supporting materials will be posted here as they become available.