Title
Warner Lagoon Water Quality Planning Report (12th AD)
Body
Warner Lagoon is a 28-acre manmade feature dating to the late 1950s to early 1960s which provides local and regional resources for the community. The Lagoon drains approximately 1,024 acres of watershed and has seen deteriorating water quality throughout its life due to high phosphorus and sedimentation levels that cause highly eutrophic or hypereutrophic conditions. Cyanobacteria blooms are common in hot summer months and a hazard to animals and people and also resulting in impacts to lagoon enjoyment and use. Low dissolved oxygen levels beneath winter ice cover routinely contribute to spring fish kills and overall poor fish habitat. As a result, the fishery in the lagoon is dominated by common carp. Carp prefer to feed by scavenging in benthic sediment, resulting in uprooted aquatic vegetation and turbid water. The loss of aquatic vegetation further impacts pan fisheries by reducing spawning habitat, which also reinforces this cycle.
To address the concerns regarding the Lagoon’s health, a feasibility and master planning effort was started in 2015 with grants generously provided by the WDNR for a Lake Planning Study, which were used to partially fund the Warner Lagoon Water Quality Planning Report. This report pulls in diverse stakeholders and the public to engage around how to best plan for the future of the Lagoon.