Plan to Reroute Water from Badger Mill Creek Sparks Concern

by Sedona Afeworki, age 16

Some Dane County residents are displeased that Badger Mill Creek will lose most of its water flow. The Madison Metro Sewerage District (MMSD) plans to reroute the water to Badfish Creek because of high phosphorus levels.

Phosphorus is a chemical element, it is naturally present in our bodies, food, and environment. While it is a necessary element, too much phosphorus can cause problems such as hyperphosphatemia, an electrolyte disorder caused by high intakes of phosphorus in a short amount of time. Badger Mill Creek was previously an area for people to come to enjoy the outdoors and a class II trout stream. Unfortunately, phosphorus levels in the water have exceeded legal limits in Wisconsin, posing risks for surrounding communities.

The legal phosphorus level in Wisconsin is 0.075 trillion parts per gallon of water, yet the level right now in Badger Mill Creek is 0.3. Currently, this water flows to areas such as Madison, Verona, and Upper Sugar River. To protect other waterways and communities, the Madison Metro Sewerage District wants to cut off the creek’s water supply and redirect it into Badfish Creek. While the sewerage district hasn’t finalized this plan, community members are displeased and worried that the Badger Mill Creek will dry up.

“It is going to diminish a natural resource, which I think is especially important as Verona and the whole area grows,” said Mayor of Verona, Luke Diaz. “We've got to protect stuff now if we’re going to keep it protected. And so it was kind of frustrating to look at the Badger Mill Creek, to see it as an environmental success story, to see it supporting trout population and to kind of see (the sewerage district) come in and very frustrating damage.”

Even though moving the water to Badfish Creek looks like the best option for MMSD, people that enjoy the creek are concerned about the water levels no longer supporting trout. MMSD has yet to decide on an agreement, and legal fights with the city of Verona could also play a role in determining the outcome.

[Sources: Dane County Park; The Capital Times; Upper Sugar River Watershed Association; Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Wisconsin Examiner]