Background and Topics
Cravath and Trippe Lakes are 68-acre and 113-acre, respectively, impounded lakes within the City of Whitewater in Walworth County. Trippe Lake is an impoundment of Whitewater Creek while Cravath Lake is an impoundment of Spring Brook. Outflow from Trippe lake flows into Cravath Lake while outflow from Cravath lake flows as Whitewater Creek downstream to the Bark River, then to the Rock River, then to the Mississippi River, and ultimately discharges into the Gulf of Mexico. Both lakes are impounded by dams owned and operated by the City of Whitewater. According to the WDNR Presto-Lite model, the lakes receive runoff from 42.2 square mile watershed that drains northwestern Walworth and northeastern Rock Counties. The eastern portion of the watershed draining into Trippe Lake contains substantial natural resource areas, including Whitewater Lake, Rice Lake, several WDNR State Natural Areas, and parts of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. The western portion of the watershed draining into Cravath Lake is predominantly in agricultural and wetland uses.
The Commission produced Memorandum Report No. 191, A Lake Protection Plan for Cravath and Trippe Lakes, Walworth County, Wisconsin, in April 2011. Since that time, the City of Whitewater completed a lake drawdown and dredging project to address excessive sediment accumulation in the lakes. Following those efforts, the City would like to update the lake management plan to study several issues related to the lakes’ ability to maintain desirable ecological conditions and provide quality recreational opportunities to lake users. Representatives from the City are also in preliminary discussions to form a lake district that would have jurisdiction over Cravath and Trippe lakes. This forthcoming management plan would help guide and be guided by the lake district as it forms during the plan development.
The plan was split into two phases with the first phase including an Aquatic Plant Management Plan for Cravath and Trippe Lakes in Walworth County, WI which is expected to be published in spring 2025. Phase one also included conducting shoreline surveys of both lakes and putting real-time water quality data loggers in some of the tributaries and outflows of the Lakes.
The major factors proposed to be examined as part of the overall study are listed below.
- Morphology, hydrology, and watershed conditions
- Lakes water quality
- Shoreline condition
- Stormwater management
- Pollutant sources and loads
- Aquatic plant community and management
- Fish and wildlife
- Recreational use
- Extensive invasive cattail growth
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.