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Next Meeting May 14, 2011 9:00 AM Packwaukee Town Hall

As many of you are aware Sunset Drive (Dredge Bank road) has been closed to public access due to the flooding that took place in June of 2008. Efforts are currently underway to develop a plan to restore the road and again make it available to the public. We will be posting links to meeting minutes from the Montello Dam/Sunset Drive Steering Committee to help keep everyone up to date on the progress of this effort.

-- The Department of Natural Resources held a public meeting on Saturday, January 22, 2010 to provide further information to the public about the findings of the study of the Fox River Dam in Montello at the Andy Krakow Public Fishing and Access Site. To view the presentation from this meeting please follow the link below. This file may take a few minutes to load.

DNR Presentation for the Restoration of Dredge Bank

About Buffalo Lake

Marquette County has 90 lakes. Buffalo Lake has about 50% of the water surface area. It was a natural lake formed by a downstream deposit of sediment in 1871. The level of the natural basin was increased by four feet. The Army Corps of Engineers constructed a low head dam under authorization of the River and Harbor Act of 1958, the Federal Government turned over control of the upper Fox River above the mouth of the Wolf River to the State of Wisconsin in June 1962.

Physical Data of Buffalo Lake

Acres = 2500
Mean Depth = 4.5 ft
Maximum Depth = 8ft
Length= 13.1 miles
Width 1/2 mile
Shore Length = 32.2 miles
Watershed area = 600 sq. miles
Normal outflow 12 days from the time water enters Buffalo Lake to the time it goes over the dam at Montello.
Buffalo Lake was named for the buffalo grass growing around the lake.

Lake Protection and Rehabilitation

On December 31, 1986, petitions were filed with the Marquette County Clerk requesting the establishment of a public inland lake protection and rehabilitation district in the Townships of Montello and Packwaukee, and the City of Montello. The petitions were accompanied by a map and description of the proposed boundaries.

Notice of a public hearing was published in the Marquette County Tribune on January 8, 1987, and mailed to the landowners within boundaries of the proposed district.The public hearing was held before the Marquette County Zoning and Planning Committee on January 29, 1987.

Buffalo Lake Protection and Rehabilitation was then declared organized and established.

Marquette County Lakes Association

Mission Statement: Our purpose is to promote the environmental protection and responsible use of Marquette County surface waters and their attendant wetlands, shore lands and wildlife resouces; to share ideas and information through education and active participation for the benefit of individual property owners, lake districts and associations, local government, the general public, future generations, and the waters themselves.

Latest Marquette County Lakes Association News

Friends of the Fox Lake

An organization that complements the activities of both the District and the Improvement Assn. is Friends of the Fox. FOF advocates responsible use, responsible re-use and preservation of both cultural and natural resources of the Upper and Lower Fox River System of Wisconsin (Buffalo lake is an integral part of this system). Current projects include the Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway (Green Bay to Prairie du Chien), The Water Trail Portage Project and the Rapide Croche Transfer Station. For membership and additional information about these projects and how you can help, visit:

www.friendsofthefox.org