Peter Magnoni from the Jefferson County Drainage Board.
Guests / Speaker
Zoomers
Students
Happy Bucks and Fines
Tara Topel got a scholarship to attend a leadership conference and her dad is doing a lot better. He had an unfortunate fall before she left and the Fire Department, EMS, and Police Department were all there in a timely manner.
Mick Selck is sad to be back in Lake Mills because he had the best time in Iceland. Go if you have the chance.
Birthdays / Raffle
Mick S - Aug 8
Mike Sweeney - Aug 9
Beth Dunn - Aug 22
Jenny McAdow - Aug 25
BIRTHDAY RAFFLE DRAWING Aug 30
Committee Reports or Announcements
Soccer Concession Stand volunteers are needed very soon. Dan Sanft will be sending out emails.
The Pyramid City Run starts at Commons Park and is on Saturday, October 10th. There are 32 signed up this far. More is needed on the day of the run. Janine Fixmer volunteered to run.
The Dean Sanders Park dedication is occurring on Saturday, September 3rd at Bartels Beach. Please come to have a good Rotarian presence.
Club Business
Abby Heck sent a thank you note, thanking the Rotary Club for the scholarship she received. She plans to be an elementary school teacher.
Upcoming Dates
Dean Sanders Dedication Sept 3rd, 10 am
Pyramid 5k - Sept 10th
Program Next Week:
Tammy Lambert - Jefferson County Veteran Services
Today’s Program
PETER MAGNONI- JEFFERSON COUNTY DRAINAGE BOARD
Last time Peter was here, he spoke at Pine Knoll! He has been on the drainage board for 10 years. Drainage is the removal of water, primarily in Jefferson County on Agricultural land. But also, in residential and manufacturing land. There are many district drains in Jefferson County. Some of the drains cross over into other counties. Drainage Boards are state agencies assigned to counties. They are created by legislation (Statute 88). Most drains were created in the early 1900s. In 1965 the Department of Agriculture was given monitoring authority to assist drainage boards to protect water quality. There are 72 counties in Wisconsin and 32 of those counties have drainage boards. They are considered governmental districts. Assessment is done to test the quality of drainage and soil. Florida has the largest drainage footprint after they drained many swamps. Landowners filed a petition with the circuit court to get drainage and form a drainage board. In Jefferson County, the drainage board consists of 3 members who are all long-time standing. They meet once a month at the courthouse. Minutes for all their meetings are posted on the Jefferson County Website. The Board Members of the drainage district serve as not only board members, but also the staff as well. They handle all clerical duties, bidding, and everything else. Wet land restoration is the opposite goal of drainage. The drain board protects agricultural land, but they have not moved beyond that. In Dane County the drainage board is doing a lot of residential bidding and assessing as they are growing at a fast rate. Jefferson County foresees more residential for Jefferson County coming. As far as drain maintenance they have been using aqua spray rather than a backhoe. This is much better for the drain and yields much better results. There are many projects going on Jefferson County at the moment.
Questions:
Amy L: Why are there no drains in the Southern part of the county?
Answer: The landowners didn’t petition for a drain.
Mick S: What type of environmental effects does the aqua spray have?
Answer: The DNR supports the aqua spray as it eradicates the weeds. In order to spray, there needs to be a permit that is approved by the DNR. The environmental impact is very little, but there is still research to be done.
***For those of you who aren’t aware, the courthouse in Jefferson County will be closed for a year***
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