The Delavan Lake - Brown's Channel Project

 

Brown’s Channel and its tributary is located at the southeast corner of Delavan Lake and has a watershed drainage area of approximately 6,251 acres, which is about 23.9 percent of the entire 26,617- acre Delavan Lake Watershed. As a result of excessive amounts of nutrient rich sediment being deposited within the channel located between Delavan Lake and South Shore Drive, a hydraulic dredging project was completed in 2004 to improve navigational access and to protect water quality. Although the project was completed successfully as confirmed by a post-dredge survey, significant rain events in 2008 and 2009 contributed to measurable sediment deposits in the channel, particularly in the area within 500 feet of South Shore Drive. A survey completed by HDR Engineering in 2011 confirmed that approximately 1,100 cubic yards of accumulated sediment was deposited in the upper end of the channel causing access restrictions and water quality impairments. Recommendations were made to complete maintenance dredging in the future to remove the nutrient rich sediment to restore lake access and to protect Delavan Lake water quality from re-mobilization of soft sediment and subsequent transport into the Delavan Lake. The Town of Delavan recently approved the completion of an updated survey to determine current water and sediment depth measurements for project planning.