Oh, not that FBI . . .
FBI Infiltrates Cherokee Marsh
Floating Bog Interceptors to Trap SedimentLast week a crew from Dane County Land and Water Resources Department, along with students from the UW Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and volunteers from the Friends of Cherokee Marsh, installed 20 FBIs – floating bog interceptors – to trap sediment and protect the Cherokee Marsh shoreline. “FBIs are one promising approach to reduce the sediment movement in Cherokee Marsh,” said County Board Chair Scott McDonell, a proponent of the Clear Lakes Initiative designed to clean up the county’s lakes. “The FBIs are made from natural materials and look a bit like a raft. They’re anchored in place and are planted with reeds which will sprout and help to create a barrier over time,” he added.
The use of FBIs has been developed by University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Chin Wu and his students, Stacey Schmidt, Nathan Wells, and Khurram Khan, as an approach to diminish wave action attacking shoreline and capture sediments. The floating bog interceptors, deployed in the northeastern portion of Cherokee Marsh, were positioned to best protect the shoreline, based on best management practices “FBIs are designed to incorporate ecology and ecosystem services into coastal engineering protection,” said Wu. “By employing the reverse engineering principle, we aim to use a series of FBIs to accrete/reconstruct eroded shorelines and restore aquatic plants to the marsh.”
In addition to the FBIs, the county is also funding research and implementation of the removal of carp in Cherokee Marsh as a sediment reduction project. The county is working with the DNR and UW-Madison this summer to study the carp populations and examine the role of carp in sediment re-suspension in both Cherokee Marsh and Mud Lake (Roxbury Township) in preparation for possible removal in the winter months.
The research on sediment control is just one component of the county’s multi-faceted Clear Lakes Initiative. The 2012 budget includes $5.7 million not only to begin work to remove carp and prevent new infestations in Cherokee Marsh and Mud Lake, but also to clean up beaches, reduce phosphorus, form a new Lake Preservation and Renewal fund, and upgrade storm sewers to keep sediment out of the lakes.
“It’s rewarding to see the implementation of ideas we discuss during budget deliberations,” said McDonell. “It is all part of the larger goal of improving our lakes for the benefit of Dane County residents.”
Dane County and its partners will celebrate 25 years of lakes and watershed improvement from June 1 through June 17. Visit www.takeastakeinthelakes.com to learn more.
