DNR Grants Dredging Permit For Wausau-Area Fishing Site

Bluegill Bay Pond Is A Popular Spot For Angelers

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Wausau area community leaders hear a presentation by Marathon County Parks Director Bill Duncanson at Blue Gill Bay Pond, June, 2015
Wausau area community leaders hear a presentation by Marathon County Parks Director Bill Duncanson at Blue Gill Bay Pond, June, 2015. Glen Moberg/WPR

The Department of Natural Resources has granted a permit for the cleanup of a popular Wausau-area fishing site.

The plans call for dredging 6 feet of contaminated muck from Bluegill Bay Pond. The announcement came at the 100th anniversary meeting of the Rotary Club of Wausau, which is undertaking the clean-up as a centennial project. Marathon County Administrator Brad Karger said once the muck has been removed, more clean groundwater should flow into Bluegill Bay Pond.

“The pond is basically 2 foot deep at the deepest part, and 12 foot of muck,” Karger said. “There’s all kinds of stuff in it. Mostly it’s decaying vegetation, but also in it are heavy metals and pesticides from Wausau’s industrial past.”

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The DNR is allowing the muck to be spread on adjoining property, so the county won’t have to pay to ship it to a landfill. Half the estimated $260,000 cost is being raised by private funds.

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