Wisconsin’s Dry River
By Aaron Reynolds
Water is a resource that all humans need to survive. Many people consider water as something that is limitless. In the Central Sands of Wisconsin residents are learning water is not constant. In recent summers, the Little Plover River is running dry. The little Plover River is a popular class one trout fishing stream. Residents have said that they have seen hundreds of trout that died from the dried up stream. Some people may wonder how the Plover River can go dry. The answer is straight forward, improper management from a local municipality and local irrigators.
The first thing a person needs to know about the Central Sands region is that the soil is sandy. A characteristic of sandy soil is its lack of ability to hold water. Water flows directly through the soil and down into the ground water. With these characteristics, the water should be a precious resource to all the residents of central Wisconsin.
The main reason the Plover River has been drying up is from municipalities pumping water excessively. It is unfair that one community is excessively using a resource to the point of depletion. Water is a resource that everyone has the right to use. Due to the negligence of this Village, fishermen are no longer able to utilize the rivers resources. Why does this Village think it has more of a right to the water than other individuals?
The other guilty party is the local irrigators. When you drive down I-39 you see large irrigation systems pumping water on their potato fields. Farmers have been withdrawing excessive amount of water to achieve a higher yield of crops. The other issue is the crops they are growing demand an excessive amount of water. For those who do not know, the Central Sands region is the 3rd largest potato producer in the nation. The Potato is a plant that is best suited in well drained and slightly acidic soils. The drawback to growing potatoes is they require an excessive amount of water for growth, but not too much.
I believe the main problem with the Plover River area is the excessive amount of greed by the local residents. The Village of Plover has always had the mindset that they must grow as a community at all costs. With this mindset of growth, they have neglected proper management of their water bodies. The farmers have the same problem as the Village of Plover they think their needs of growing crops outweighs the needs of other residents. If this problem is going to be addressed the State government needs to step in and add more regulations of surface water levels.
Who do you think is causing the depletion of water in the Central Sands?
5 comments:
Aaron -
I believe you bring up a very good point. I grew up in Stevens Point so I remember years ago the Plover river drying up but it seems like in those past years nobody has been doing anything to address the issue. It was interesting to learn where all of the water was going! This was an interesting topic piece since it involved a local issue.
Potatoes grow well in sandy soil 1, because tubers encounter low resistance resulting in large growth and 2, because the large pores between each sand particle allow for quick infiltration, thus preventing rot. However, mass irrigation within the Central Sands is due to mono-cropping encouraged by chip and French fry processing companies. There are thousands of varieties of potatoes but the ones that appeal to the biggest and most profitable markets are the ones that will be found in the field. Therefore, each soil type must be “adapted” to the needs of these potatoes (i.e. fertilizers and water to offset poor soil nutrient and water holding capacities.) Ideally, crops would be planted based on the soil type(s) present. Doing so would eliminate the need for these inputs, and allow the natural environment to self regulate itself, leading to increased stream flow, and decreased contamination by water soluble nutrients. Water quantity and water quality are often inseparable.
Mike, I think you bring up a good point in saying crops should be planted based on location. I think that same idea can relate to where people live. For example, look at the desert southwest, their population is increasing at record rates. When you look at their environment, it is not capable of sustaining that many people. Just to get water to the people they are required to construct elaborative pipelines. In the future, I hope decisions made by natural resource managers are tied close to the capabilities of the land.
I am a firm believer in that we are a product of the environment.
Such an important topic! I don't know if any of you were in NR 250 when we went to the dry headwaters of the Little Plover a few years ago. It was just scary to me how the local irrigators felt they had every right to deplete the groundwater that feeds the river. We're so lucky with our water rights here in the Midwest, so we need to be cognizant of other situations. In summer, I teach in Wyoming and need to explain that even though a person may own property out there, he/she may not have the right to dip a cup of water out of the stream that runs through it.
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