Whitewater officials, DNR rep give update on Cravath, Trippe lakes project
By Tom Ganser
Correspondent
An audience of about 50 residents recently learned about the Cravath and Trippe lakes drawdown project during an informational meeting at the Whitewater Municipal Building.
And one thing they were told involved a history lesson about the lakes, including that they are not naturally occurring but rather impoundments.
Unknown to many local residents, Cravath Lake was created in the mid-1850s to provide power to a gristmill built on Whitewater Creek, while Trippe Lake was re-created in the mid-1860s to power a paper mill.
“Impoundments naturally accumulate sediment,” said Heidi Bunk, a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources specialist. “When you dam up a river, you’re essentially creating a situation where it catches sediment. You’re trying to maintain an artificial situation, and the best way to maintain that artificial situation is a periodic drawdown.
“I think a good message to take home is that it’s not a once-and-done thing,” Bunk added…
Read more from the meeting in the Feb. 27 Whitewater Register.
