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Board recommends Solitude Lake Management for Saratoga Lake aquatic plant plan
Summary
The board recommended awarding the five-year Saratoga Lake Aquatic Plant Management Plan to Solitude Lake Management; staff said the firm was on a Wisconsin DNR consultant list and the plan supports required DNR permitting for harvesting.
The Waukesha City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Board on May 19 recommended the Common Council approve a contract with Solitude Lake Management to prepare and implement the five-year Saratoga Lake Aquatic Plant Management Plan.
Why it matters: State permitting for aquatic plant harvesting requires a management plan at defined intervals; board approval is a step toward meeting Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources permitting requirements and scheduling annual harvesting work before summer recreational use.
Staff said the vendor was drawn from a consultant list supplied by the Wisconsin DNR and that the city received multiple proposals and selected the low bid. City staff explained that aquatic plant harvesting is performed under DNR oversight and that the contractor used for harvesting must also be preapproved by the DNR because of invasive-species and regulatory controls.
Board members asked how the plan related to a separate dredging and dam-removal study. Staff replied that the dredging study is separate but that aquatic plant management intersects the study where containment of invasive species or impacts during dredging or dam removal would be relevant; staff said information from harvesting would be part of the broader discussion about dredging or dam-removal options.
The board moved and approved the recommendation to award the contract; the motion passed unanimously.
Staff said the annual harvester traditionally used by the city operates out of northern Illinois and that the city schedules harvesting to occur before July 4 where possible.
Next steps: The board’s recommendation will move to the Common Council for contract award and the city will coordinate timing and DNR approvals for harvesting operations.
